Juliet

I think it is well done, overall, and you could certainly get an idea of whether or not you'd like to subscribe by checking their website, www.pointemagazine.com

An excellent source for pictures on the internet is www.corbis.com You can send e-cards from their images, order prints, etc. and search for subject areas ("ballet" will turn up hundreds!) It is an excellent site for images. (Edited to correct the URL) [ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: Victoria Leigh ]

Dumb question... This is on video (Kirov with Zelensky, Makhalina. etc.) so can't the sound just be taken off the video? Perhaps the quality is not good enough for performance, I don't know, but I do recall simply lending my video to someone and they took the music off it (it was not for public performance).....

Books are not like the Clean Plate Club: you don't have to finish them! If it is banal, go on to a good dance history or bigraphy--there are plenty out there which are just as spicy, scholarly, funny, or whatever your current taste happens to be. Life is too short to read bad books.

I took a chance and went and watched this yesterday. How beautiful.....thank you for reminding me.

This is a great story, sneds, but it must have been at another gala in Saratoga.... I was there this year and it was a beautiful evening--they did Theme & Variations, Ballo della Regina, and Soirees Musicales--and the fireworks were spectacularafterward... I think, perhaps, this was last year...it was wettish then... I always feel so sorry for performers at the mercy of the weather.....

I am told that they are just painted white now. I don't know about "in the old days." I always liked the way it looked--glad I am not the only one.....

I like them. I was really excited just before the recent SAB performance of Napoli excerpts.....but then learned that, alas, they weren't going to wear "the shoes." I like lower front-vamp slippers--at one time Sansha made two styles of canvas slippers...I jumped through many hoops getting them as I thought they made the foot look much better.

This was the best, Mel...this was the best.

Off the top of my head, and I know I'll think of four more as soon as I send this: Dance Writings and Poetry by Edwin Denby Dancing Women; Female Bodies on Stage by S. Barnes Balanchine's Tchaikovsky by S. Volkov These are favourites....

I'm trying to stay out of this one, but I completely concur with samba38 insofar as: " if 30 in 40 people couldn't/wouldn't/shouldn't have stayed with him, he was certainly responsibly for bringing in quality people to do the jobs." Seems as if there you have it in a nutshell (Can you imagine any arts organization in a nutshell? Queer prospect!)

The Violette Verdy book is called Ballerina by Victoria Huckenpahler, and it came out in 1978....it is available in libraries, at least in research ones, if not for circulation. I would suspect that the Indiana Univ. Fine Arts Library would have it, but doubtless it is available elsewhere as well (I did graduate work at IU and have to put in a plug for their excellent libaries occasionally ;) ) I'd like a well-researched new one on Fonteyn, Dowell, a reissue of Balanchine's Ballerinas, Danilova....the list goes ever onward.....

There are quite a number of books for children, but of the picture-book genre, which have students of various ethnic backgrounds in the classes and in the companies. Rachel Isadora, who was herself a fine dancer, has written and illustrated a number, for example. There are a variety of others, but I would have to be at work to be more specific, which of course I will be happy to research if anyone has a definite interest.

As a librarian, I am so happy to hear you all discussing books!!! (As a costumer, I look forward to your discussing costumes on the Tech Board ) We had a discussion of ballet-oriented fiction some time ago....you might want to check in the Archives. Rumer Godden did, with her other wonderful children's/young adult books three that have ballet as a focus: Listen to the Nightingale, Pippa Passes and Thursday's Children. Other noteworthy ones are Company of Swans (Ibbotsen), and the classic, Ballet Shoes (Streatfield.) You can check your library's holdings or the Amazon link above to find other fiction titles. There are a number of excellent nonfiction books out now for a younger audience, as well, so everyone ought to find something to enjoy! Dancers, because of the long wait times in studios and rehearsals, are some of the most well-read people. Keep up the proud tradition! [ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: Juliet ]

Hearsay is an interesting and dangerous thing. While not the topic of this discussion, "and how a certain behavior is expected from the Kirov students.You know-cults do pass on certain expectations." I will interject briefly that several years of direct and frequent observation would lead me to conclude that a certain behaviour is indeed expected of Kirov students. It is exactly the same behaviour that is expected at other professional residency programs, (The matter of food service is the only one which would lead to major deviation, and that doesn't have anything to do with cults.) I am familiar with the neverending, occasionally hysterical, discussions about this religious group on other sites, and I would still maintain: if you don't want to go to a performance because you feel that you are thereby directly supporting an organization with which you disagree, don't go. Quite simple. I never quite understand the violence of the opposition....we do have a choice in this country.

No, I don't find it confusing. I know exactly what this is....I used to see it in Tower Records, Barnes& Noble, and (I think) various gift shops associated with theatres.... You might check the publisher of the one you have and see if the bookstore where you saw it, or a good record store can order it for you. I believe there are ones for Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker as well. You might also check the websites for the above, as well as the link for Amazon at the top of the screen (thereby helping support this site!) Good luck!

The prices were comparatively low for Washington, as well--unfortunately, I couldn't attend any of the performances for which I bought tickets! :rolleyes: Hope others go and report on this, and Shim Chung, another ballet they are doing, as well--the latter is very pretty.

Not to mention that this enterprise funded another well-known ballet company for five years. There are a number of things in the world which are owned by, or financially supported by groups with which I disagree. As long as I am not forced to listen to proselytizing, or asked to buy flowers, or called away from dinner by someone ringing my doorbell, I don't care. This is America--if you feel as if you are contributing to a cause, however indirectly, with which you disagree, then you simply do not attend the function, or give money or time. Pretty simple.... I look forward to hearing other reports about the performances.

Batalov is part of Royal Danish Ballet now, so perhaps it's not unexpected that he missed London. He wasn't used enough at Kirov, in any event. Lucky for those who got to see him in France, while he is still dancing so beautifully. I also enjoyed visualizing the performances in that setting--thank you so much for the review.

At least you know what evening slippers are! I am not going to open myself for socially correct target practice by mentioning the appalling disregard for appropriate dress for social occasions such as ballet or theatre performances. Sigh...

Respectfully disagree. I don't think it was attempting to threaten tradition....it was simply different. Very different! Very musical, very inventive, very well acted and danced. Third and fourth acts, particularly. It is available on video, probably also in libraries, Luka, so you might want to look at the entirety, as a single pdd does not give a true feeling for the entire ballet. Of course, few pdds do encapsulate a ballet.... Actually, it is "Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake"....Adam Cooper is forever going to be associated with a black line down the middle of his head, but we must give the originator and director his due!

Well, I know that Boal and Evans are wonderful, but isn't there a Titania up at SPAC? Did she decide to slumber through the ballet? Will someone please tell us who danced?? (...who is cast and who dances not being real reliable lately.)

So sorry. I was simply being careful, and have no interest in reopening this issue.

Jeannie, All school/student performance reviews are off-limits here, not just the Kirov Academy's. One has only to read the thread on ballet.co about the Royal Ballet School's spring performances to see why...... what a mess.

Oh, Mashinka, how lucky you were to see this--I would imagine NT to be perfect in this role!!!! I agree that it would be a lovely touch for the company to assemble at the end, but if they are "off" that night (not dancing, I mean) it might be hard to cajole them into assembling, getting into costume and makeup, just to walk out on stage late at night. Glad that it was such a successful season--we are looking forward to their visit here in Washington soon.