michaelbaker

does anyone know if this documentary is still available and if so, where?

if you go to "operadeparis.fr" you should be able to find a diagram of the auditorium of the Bastille. I just booked tickets at the Garnier for September and I had the same problem. You cannot specify a seat, just the general area which is a bit frustrating. they do however have a "preview" facility within the booking site which you if you click on will give you a view of the stage from your seat, which is very useful. Good luck.

Michael

For the first time of my life I've just bought a subscription to the Paris Opera... actually to see the NYCB next fall (they have a special

subscription if you want tickets for 3 of the 4 programs).

My husband and I have just received our tickets, but now are wondering about where the seats are (unfortunately, one could only choose the ticket category, but not the area of the theater), as we are not familiar with the numbering system at the Opéra Bastille.

So perhaps someone could help ? (cygneblanc ?)

Our seats are in the 3rd category, at the parterre (actually I'd probably have preferred a balcony), and

-"porte 1, allée A, rang 28, places 9-11" for some of them

-"porte 2, allée D, rang 27 or 28, places 6-8 or 2-4" for the others

I'd especially like to know if we are on the side (excentré) or not...

Michael Baker

well it's nice to know that you don't have to be British to appreciate Frederick Ashton's ballets. my dream list of DVD's would include the original cast of "Dance at a Gathering" (which I had the good fortune to see back in the 1970's,)the original cast of "Symphonic Varations" and "Birthday Offering" as well as "Voluntaries" Glen Tetley choreographed the latter in hommage to John Cranko after his death and done for the Stuttgart Ballet. This, I also saw with the original cast.

This is a list of what I hope one day (SOON ) to find on DVD.

Do you think there is hope?

What other performances do you think should be issued/reissued on DVD?

(some items on the list do exist as region 1/NTSC DVDs but not as region 2/PAL)

Here we go:

Anything by Bournonville !

I know there was a vhs tape of La Sylphide and one of Napoli. Yet I can't find them anywhere. Are there plans to reissue them as DVDs? Is there any hope of a Bournonville boxed set coming out, with all the ballets we have been reading about in the Bournonville Festival threads? There are a lot of people in the world (dance professionals and balletomanes) interested in Bournonville. With the scarcity of Bournonville on video it would be easy for the RDB to market Bournonville DVDs. I know I would buy the box the moment it came out!

Alexandra, is there hope?

Sleeping Beauty Sizhova/Kirov (:huepfen024: - isn't this the perfect smilley for Sizova?)

Sleeping Beauty Kolpakova/Kirov

Sleeping Beauty Assylmuratova/Kirov

Bayadere Komleva/Terekhova/Kirov

Vasiliev/Maximova Giselle ()

Raymonda from the Paris Opera Ballet. The Dancers Dream documentary has been selling quite well and it's a documentary!!! So where is the whole performance? Another one of the mysteries of DVD distribution...

Swan Lake with Makarova/Dowell (no region 2/PAL) (I hope it's a matter of time for this one)

Makarova/Baryshnikov Giselle.

Any Swan Lake with the Kirov (there are none in region 2/PAL) I'm not sure Mezentseva will be good in SL and a black swan pdd with Makhalina was not my taste but I still would like to have a Kirov SL.

More DVDs from the POB: Almost perfect dancing, amazingly rich productions (costumes/scenery), clear and crisp image, non-intrusive video editing - what more can one ask for? Even, if the dancing may - very rarely - appear technically perfect but soulless, the POB DVDs are the definition of eye-candy. Beautiful!!!!!

More Ashton, please! I'd like to see Enigma Variations (isn't there a film of Beriosova and Dowell?), A Month in the Country, Les Patineurs, Symphonic Variations. ( I told someone that I like Ashton the other day and he asked me if I'm British. I thought that was depressing...)

And obviously, more Balanchine! (the only DVDs I can find in region2/PAL are the "Choreography by Balanchine", so start by Davids bundlertanze and Balanchine Celebration) After that, wouldn't it be great if someone went through the Balanchine foundation archives and compiled 3-4 DVDs of historic performances? It should be low cost and easy. Are there permission/copyright/other issues?

So, what do you think?

Is there hope for these items being issued as DVDs?

What's your ballet DVD wish list?

i have the POB version of Paquita by Pierre Lacotte on DVD and the dancing is marvellous. Certainly well worth buying.

I've been trying to locate a DVD of Paquita but the POB versions both receive awful reviews in Amazon.com. Kirov Classics DVD only has the Pas de Trois and Grand Pas Classique. Any leads?

PS Not having seen the ballet, I don't know if it merits full treatment. Or are the Petipa variations the only real value in the choreography?

(quote) i have danced Fille many times in a couple of different companies and I agree with the fact that it is probably one of the quintessential English ballets. A perfect ballet to take the "first timer" to.

(quote)

A friend of mine, a former dancer, saw it last year in Paris and loved it. DIdn't get a lot of details, except that her husband (who's not a dancer) loved it even more than she did.

The French dancers who've moved here and dance with San Francisco Ballet ALL seem to have a great sense of humor and a natural feel for gesture, so I bet they do do it well. But htat's just my guess.

Still, I know what you mean about its Englishness. In fact, Edwin denby commented on its mild gentle Englishness in his review of Fille and wondered if Americans would feel the charm. As Glebb recalls, it does seem to go from highlight to highlight -- but it does that without ever going for some over-the-top feat of bravura. Even when Lise is leaping about or spinning in hte midst of all those ribbons there are no show-stopping effects --

Sorry, I don't buy that Plisetskaya couldn't do the 32 turns. Look at her in the Little Humpbacked Horse video, and you'll see that she tosses them off without so much as a drop of perspiration. Where do you get this idea she couldn't do them? I think this idea was spread in Makarova's book in the 70's. If anything, Makarova had a hard time doing them... she was a magnificent dancer but not the strongest technician. Correct me if I'm wrong but, as I understand it, the version of Swan Lake Plisetskaya danced was the version by Gorsky from the 1920's which didn't use the 32 fouettés and that this had nothing to do with Plisetskaya.

was reading through peoples' comments on Odile and her fouettes when I came across someone's comments on Makarova. She came to guest with my company in Swan Lake and I consider her to be the definative Odette/Odile but I do concede that there were nights where she struggled with those damned fouettes. It didn't alter the fact though that she was one of the greatest ballerinas of her generation.

someone else asked what do ballerinas substitute fouettes with (apart from obvious pique turns). someone at the Royal Ballet (i think it was nadia nerina) reportedly did 32 entrechat six instead. she could do the fouettes effortlessly as well.

thanks for the great site

regards

Michael

Hi all..

I hope you find what you are looking for. When I was a young ballet student growing up in my native New Zealand a touring group came from the Kirov. One of the dancers was Yuri Soloviev. I used to go to performances night after night sitting high up in the "gods". From where I sat to the stage, the view was somewhat distorted, almost like being directly above the dancers, but despite that, Soloviev's batterie was text book perfection and his elevation outstanding. I always wondered why he was always slightly "marginalised" though. He was truly a magnificent dancer, and in my opinion, somewhat underrated.

Does anyone know if "Bringing Back Balanchine" was ever released commercially in the US (or anywhere else for that matter?)

thanks

Michael Baker

I am visiting St Petersburg very briefly in September and would like to watch a ballet class at the Vaganova ballet academy. Does anyone know how I could arrange this? I have been in touch with the academy directly and at their request, submitted my resume (CV). To date, no response.

thanks and regards

Michael Baker

former principal dancer and teacher

would anyone know if there is film footage commercially available on nadia nerina?

thanks