BW

Thanks for your latest installment on "Step of the Week" - and it's very helpful for me to read the comments, sometimes I may get lost or my eyes might glaze over if it gets too far beyond me , but this is a great thread for those of us who need "Ballet Steps for Dummies". :rolleyes: And, I'm sure it's a good challenge for some more seasoned readers, as well.

Wow! Thank you Mike, you're right you were lucky to be there - I only wish I'd been there as well, but I do very much appreciate your posting this. It was obviously a night to remember and and a fantastic opening for this studio company, too. :gossip: I'm looking forward to reading even more. B)

Oh, fendrock, this is really sad news...and hard to believe!?! What could they be thinking by importing Radio City Music Hall's "extravaganza"? Ugh. It's embarrassing. Is there no recourse? :angry:

Well Fraildove, if you want to see what he's doing now check out this thread City Dance Ensemble. They're performing in DC next weekend. :grinning:

A big thank you to Eric Taub and nysusan for their reviews! Having just read all three reviews, and nysusan I know yours was not an "official" review, I enjoyed Taub's and nysusan's the most. Why? Because theirs painted a much more visual picture for my mind's eye and included their own insights which really helped me to "see" the ballets performed much more than Ms. Kisselgoff's, though I know she has some constraints of being the NY Times dance critic upon her. I wish I'd made it to the performances...and would have loved to have seen Mr. Taub jump into the fray to finish off the slow motion knife fight! ;) Seriously, thank you both for your reports.

Good advice, vagansmom. :yes: I'm with you - see as much as you can from different ballet companies. You'll learn to appreciate different companies and their "styles"...and you'll broaden your ballet horizons, too. I happen to be looking forward to Christopher Wheeldon's version of Swan Lake with the Pennsylvania Ballet this spring. :huepfen:

The best binocculars I've found for viewing ballet are Bushnell "Xtrawide" they offer a 900 ft. field of view, so you can get the big picture, and yet they magnify in a big way as well - 4 x 21. They're made for performing arts or spectator sports...and in my opinion they're not too expensive, though at the moment I can't remember if they were about $50 or $60? They happen to sell them, or did last year, at the gift shop down beneath Lincoln Center, though you can probably get them at a good camera shop. They are auto focus, but believe me I wear progressive lenses (invisible tri focals) and I can wear them with my glasses on...and my non visually impaired husband and daughter can use them just as well. Have a wonderful time LaraF at all the ballets and keep us posted! :grinning:

Well, LaraF, you've certainly gotten some wonderful encouragement here. Really, you have very little to lose by at least trying the fourth ring. I had never been up there before but when Treefrog and spouse made their sojourn to NYC for a long ballet weekend, I joined them up in the 4th ring and my eyes were opened :yes: - I'd never have seen the intricate patterns of Robbin's pieces without being up high! And "West Side Story Suite" looked great from there too - but bring your binoculars for sure. And please don't forget to report back here with your reactions! :grinning: Oh yes, and definitely go see the Pennsylvania Ballet right in your own backyard. They have quite a line up and if you look you'll find quite a bit about them in the American Ballet Companies forum on Ballet Talk. Or just click here instead!

Thanks goldfish. I did know about those two...but I just wish we could have more access on the other nights of the week. I guess I'll just have to by a whole suit of Gortex so I can walk the streets through rain, sleet and snow.

Lovely comment Farrell Fan in re the shadow. And carbo, your point about it helping one to see the choreography more clearly is a good one.

Thanks carbo - good to know...now if only they could stay open later during the week nights while I'm walking the streets waiting for my daughter to get out of ballet class. Oh well!

Yes, FF, we went to Brooklyn - and even made it home without getting lost in Prospect Park! I've decided not to read the two reviews posted above because I didn't want them to taint my own reactions to yesterday's matinee. OK, I do see that Eric Taub was apparently in Brooklyn too, so I won't give you a play by play. I loved it and am really glad we made the hike to get there. Initially had hoped to go to NJPAC but couldn't...the only sad part about it all is that our daughter, the ballet student, was unable to make this one too. Divertimento No. 15 was the perfect opening piece - full of light and life. The music and the choreography seemed to be what I would consider quintessential Balanchine and in my view they danced it beautifully and looked incredibly happy to be dancing it - their faces glowed. I'm not sure who felt Runqiao Du didn't do well, or perhaps it was in another piece during a different performance because he looked strong to me, as did the other dancers in this ballet, as well. I really should have written my thoughts down last night so I could react closer to the moment. I didn't care for Variations for Orchestra though I found the silhouette dancer to be kind of interesting...from what I've read here it sounds as if this particular ballet has got to be very difficult to have anyone dance to due to Ms. Farrell's original knock out performance. Tzigane was my favorite...or perhaps it was a tie between it and Divertimento No. 15? I'd never seen Tzigane before and I thought Natalia Magnicaballi's portrayal was fantastic - what a beautiful woman and she was just right for this gypsy role. And Monchil Mladenov was her perfect match! I'm sure if I knew more, I'd be able to speak to the obvious character dance incorporated into this ballet, but alas I cannot. Although by now the program was getting on in the sense of time, due to a late start, and there was very little, if any air conditioning on in the theater, Ms. Magnicaballi's sultry looks, which seemed to be made for her costume, and everyone's energetic dancing kept me wide awake throughout! Apollo - another ballet that I'd never seen before. Peter Boal was excellent and looked as though he were a god. I thought the three muses were also very believable - Bonnie Pickard, Natalia Magnicaballi and Jennifer Fournier... obviously due to the role of Terpsichore, Ms. Fournier had the most dancing of the three... I enjoyed all three, their dancing and interactions with Apollo - especially towards the end of the piece. From my neophyte's point of view, it's an unusual ballet and - although I am afraid to even suggest this - I felt that some parts of the piece felt awkward for today, and I wondered if Balanchine were still alive, if he might not have changed it a bit? Additionally, I found Apollo's playing of the lute to be rather overkill at times. Hope you'll forgive me for saying this. :sweating: I love the Greek myths but there was something about his wind up on several occasions that just struck me as a bit too much. Which brings me to poor Leto's giving birth scene... That has got to be a tough one too. Lisa Reneau looked absolutely beautiful as she writhed in childbirth...up on that scaffolding that kept making me think we were going to see a hanging any minute. Really, she is quite stunning. Yet, I have to ask - in the original staging, or in what is normally done today, is the stairway to heaven like the one they used in their Brooklyn performance? I found it to be ugly and it seemed old fashioned as in what once was considered avant-garde. And when I saw Peter Boal - mummy style - with his eyes blazing from between his wraps, I couldn't help but think of Damien Woetzel in that piece by Feld. I understand the birth analogy...but was glad when it was over. However, now that I've given my negative reactions, I will say that the ending as Apollo led his muses up the stairway to heaven - really was a tremendously powerful image and a great ending. By this time I'd been mesmerized and transported from Brooklyn to somewhere in the clouds. My only regret was that I hadn't boned up on these ballets ahead of time. Am I correct that Tzigane was "made on" Suzanne Farrell orginally? I also want to say that I appreciate everyone's responses to my inital question on this thread. It's been very helpful for me to read your posts, and, slowly, I'm beginning to catch on to things ballet. I especially enjoy reading the reactions to Ms. Farrell's company and their dancing in comparison to how she danced the same ballets. Of course we can't really expect any dancer to dance the way another would or did. Nanatchka expresses what I'm after much better than I when she wrote: And I believe she achieved this with her current company in Brooklyn yesterday! P.S. It was great to see Alexander Ritter dancing, as well!

Thank you for telling us about Jane Ward Murray. I'm sorry to hear of her passing - she must have truly been quite a wonderful and interesting woman.

Candace Bouchard is the name I was hoping to hear - very exciting! She is a lovely young woman who used to dance at Ballet Academy East in NYC, and I'm glad to hear she's doing well. Thanks Watermill, I appreciate the extra added details!

Thanks Leigh, I understand your points...and I guess I should have thought of that aspect - the pick up group one. Although I never have seen Ms. Farrell dance, except on videos, I suppose I was imagining her coaching her dancers to perform in certain ways... Does this make any sense? What I'm getting at is that someone will see NYCB perform and the generalization is that the dancers have a different way of executing a particular step.. that would be different from, for example, the way a Bolshoi ballet dancer might... Perhaps I'm just confusing my question ever more by this?

We're heading down to Brooklyn today to see Suzanne Farrell's company and wondered if we should expect to see some different touches in the dancing? I know there's a thread all about her company on another forum...but I wanted to throw this out to the general audience...and see if one would consider hers to be "a style" or not. Farrell Fan are you out there?

Thanks Watermill - so glad you attended and had good reactions! Do you happen to know if any apprentices danced or was this too much of a gala for that?

Absolutely top notch dissertation Dr. Watermill. Your diagnosis and prescription for the pathology is obviously based on years of scientific research into the human psyche. :yes: :gossip:

Yes, I saw that Funny Face however it's quite an impressive site for the right readership. If anyone is interested - you can register, and must, to read the forums...but no one is holding a cyber pistol to your head to ante up the $8 until you're sure it's another watering hole to your liking on this wide open prairie called the Internet. I do want to add that it's quite a big place and I've only started to find my way through it, but I do like what I've found so far. Although I know Alexandra does not want to ever charge anything to the members or lurkers of Ballet Alert!, there are some of us who periodically urge her to offer something along the lines of this honor system/donation idea. B)

This may be of interest. I have not really checked it out yet and almost forgot about it until tonight. On Thursday the New York Times had an article by Clea Simon entitled "With Friends Like These, Who Needs Book Agents": check it out if you'd like. The site's owner was a former host of the discussion area of Salon.com. She started Readerville in June 2000. Perhaps it will be helpful to some here.

I happen to absolutely love Balanchine's Nutcracker - however, Canfield's sounds really good too, and I would love to see it performed sometime with a really good cast. Has any other ballet company ever performed Canfield's? And by the way Jameth - many thanks for your great "play by play" (in honor of the Yankees vs Boston game tonight!).

It's very sad to hear this. Seeing Les Sylphides would have been a highlight. Why must filthy lucre always get in the way? I'm half kidding here.

Gee, I hadn't even considered the fact of no live music. Uh, oh, I doubt there'll be any in Brooklyn either... I know it's not the worst thing in the world, but it sure does make something really good even better - don't you think? PK, did you feel the lack of live music was a major detraction or were you just so smitten that it didn't matter?

It's because of Ballet Alert! that I've been able to - help my daughter receive a much better ballet education; learn more about one of, if not the most beautiful arts; meet such a broad cross section of interesting and interested people across the world; make some of the best new pals; be able to keep up with breaking ballet news across the continents; find out about performances that I'd like; understand the nuances of different choreographers and dancers and spend waaaaaaay too much time on the Internet! :huepfen: