abatt

I saw this movie over the weekend. I thought it was very touching, the special effects were fantastic and the acting was excellent. There is a reference by Cate Blanchett in the film in which she refers to a ballet in which Balanchine added a dancer's fall into the choreography. She never states the name of the ballet, but she is alluding to Serenade. There is also an excerpt of the Ballet from Carousel in the movie. The movie is 2 hours, 40 min, perhaps a bit too long. However, it is well worth your time, in my opinion.

Loved your lists, Natalia. The best memories for 2008 for me were Damian Woetzel's farewell season, including an unforgettable portrayal of the Prodigal Son; Ashley Bouder and Tess Reichlin in everything; Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev in Flames of Paris (the YAGP Gala); the Tudor Celebration at ABT's City Center season; the Kirov season at City Center - most particularly Victoria Tereshkina, Big Red Kondourova, and Sarafanov; Daniil Simkin in Flames of Paris at ABT; Taras Domitro of SFB in Four Temperaments; and the annual Flamenco Gala at City Center.

The prize for worst event goes to Beauty in Motion. What was Diana Vishneva thinking!! I thought it was an absolute waste of time and money. Other low points were seeing Nina Ananiashvilli in Don Q- it exposed the decline in her abilities in a very acute way. I thought that Rabbit and Rogue by Twyla Tharp was very disappointing. I detested Festa Baroca (ailey) and Oltremare (at City Ballet), both by Bigonzetti (sorry, I'm sure I screwed up the spelling) I felt sadness remembering the lovely Jennifer Alexander every time I went to ABT and saw others performing the roles she used to perform; I also frequently saw her husband around Lincoln Center using a cane. How does someone recover emotionally and physically from such an event? Does anyone know how he is?

Do you think that 2009 will finally see the retirement of any NYCB principals who are performing beyond their expiration date? Do you think that the wonderful Tess Reichlin will finally get the promotion she deserves? Will the fantastic Stella finally return to the stage? STELLLAAAA, we miss you. Will Kevin McKenzie promote V. Part? Imissed Concerto DSCH, and am looking forward to seeing it in January. I'm looking forward to seeing Osipova and Bolle at ABT. I'm not sure if Bolle is the greatest technician, but he is certainly one of the best looking male dancers on the scene.

Oh, I forgot. While ABT's Sleeping Beauty still has a lot of problems, thank you Kevin for making alterations, including getting rid of the purple boa and the shower curtain.

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i don't think any department in culture at the NYT has a 'lock-step' policy behind its first-string critic.

Of course 2 critics can disagree, even if they work for the same paper. It was surprising that Gia K put Somova on her list not because it is a divergent view from A. Macaulay. Rather, it was surprising because of the numerous deficiencies in Ms. Somova's technique.

My only experience w. Somova was at the City Center performances. I attended very frequently (trust me, it added up to mucho $$$$). I saw most of her performances during that engagement. I would agree w. you that there were certain things she did very well; however, certain performances were very bad, and utterly lacking in grace or refinement. As Alistair Macaulay astutely wrote in one of his reviews in the NY Times, Somova "skews her pelvis sideways to achieve high extensions, even though the angle of her tutu ... shows just how much this distorts her line." She does this repeatedly. One of the elements of beauty in ballet is line. Somova seems to be determined to turn an element of beauty into an element of ugliness- a freak show designed to show us all how flexible she is. Her habit of hyper-extending her legs is a big problem. That's why I found it surprising that a NY Times reviewer would single her out as a best of 2008.

Conspiracy for or against what, may I ask?

Perhaps a "vast right wing conspiracy" that Senator Clinton used to refer to when they investigated former President Clinton. I think the poster above who allued to a "conspiracy" or "Ponzi" scheme may be questioning how Somova could have been promoted to principal under the circumstances. Unfortunately, we all know that the advancement of certain people within large organizations, including ballet companies, is often based on considerations other than merit.

a halo of platinum hair." .

...a point was established already that it is yellow.

LOL! Is there a Hair Style Talk site somewhere? I'm guessing there is.

Hi. I don't know if anyone caught the Year End "Best Of" edition of Sun Dec. 21, 2008 NY Times, Arts & Leisure Section. Columnist Gia Kourlas stated that Somova's dancing was one of the highlights of 2008 dance performances. She refers to Alina Somova as "a lithe young dancer with an angular face and a halo of platinum hair." Kourlas further states, "Her effortless extensions and individual touches — fouetté turns embellished with darting kicks — were full of juicy aplomb, layering her performances with a blend of glacial grandness and coltish resolve."

Did anyone else read this! Were Gia and I watching the same performances!? I might give Somova the acrobat or gymnast of the year award, but her dancing certainly was not a highlight of 2008.

[sounds like we were at the same performance, but I don't remember seeing you there - am I losing it? I saw that program on 12/14 (eve)

Oops. You're not losing it. I thought you were going to the 12/14 matinee. I didn't realize you were at the evening performance; otherwise I would have looked for you. (I was in the mid mezz) Oh well. I will be attending the Ailey - Ellington performances on 12/19 and 12/20 evenings. I'm not surprised that the performances featuring the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra sold very well. It's almost like getting 2 events for the price of one. I agree w. you about Linda Celeste Sims. She is presently my favorite female dancer in the company.

I saw the new piece, Fiesta Baroca, a few days ago. Unfortunately, I think the negative review it received in the NY Times is pretty accurate. The choreography is thin, and the piece is WAY too long to maintain the viewer's interest. There is a lot of pointless, rapid arm movement. The best parts are the 2 pdd, which are very acrobatic in nature. On a positive note, the costumes were very colorful, and I enjoyed listening to the recorded opera music to which the dance is set. Also on a positive note, I enjoyed the first piece on the program, Suite Otis. I didn't stick around for the final piece, Revelations, since I have seen it so many times in the past. The audience applauded both Suite Otis and Fiesta with hearty applause. In Fiesta, the Ailey dancers are so much better than the material they are given to perform.

I saw Billy Elliot last night. It was very enjoyable, and I'm sure it will run for a long time. The music by Elton John is pretty good. If you're a serious ballet fan like me, the ballet choreography will look very basic and elementary. In fact, the show has at least as much tap dancing as ballet. I think there were a lot of people in the audience who have never been to the ballet who were gasping in amazement at the relatively simple ballet movements executed by Billy (Trent Kowalik last night). It follows the story of the movie fairly closely, except that Billy's mother appears as a ghost (which is not in the movie). Stephen Hanna does a duet with little Billy, and also has a very brief speaking role. The choreography is a walk in the park for someone like Hanna, who is in my opinion way over-qualified for this easy role. (Why would he give up a contract as a principal w. City Ballet to do this role?) In sum, an enjoyable (but pricey) evening. We spotted in last night's audience Nathan Lane and Elaine Stritch.

Thanks, all. I'll be seeing 'Go in Grace', 'Fiesta Barocca' and 'Suite Otis'. Abatt, do you also know about the 2nd and 3rd of these.

Hi. Fiesta Barocca will be a world premiere. I know nothing about the work; however, I have seen other works by the same choreographer at NYCB. I've never seen Suite Otis. Looking forward to the entire season, especially the performances w. the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

I missed that discussion. Thanks for the info on her retirement.

Does anyone what company, if any, Alicia Graf is with? She is no longer listed in the Alvin Ailey roster of dancers.

I've seen Ivan Vasiliev dance only once- at a Gala for Youth America Grand Prix at City Center in NYC. His partner was Ms. Osipova. They both were incredible virtuosos. They performed the Flames of Paris pdd

Hi. I went to see the Ailey Company on Fri. evening. The program started w. Memoria, with Linda Celeste Sims dancing the lead. This is one of my favorite Ailey dances, and the company looked great. Next up was the premiere of Go In Grace, featuring a live performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock. I had never seen Sweet Honey before. I really enjoyed their singing. The lyrics were very meaningful, and the singers were fantastic. Unfortunately, the choreography was simplistic and uninteresting. The last piece fo the evening was Revelations. I've seen it many times before. The standout for me was Clifton Brown in the I Wanna Be Ready Section. I'll be going back several times this season, although the ticket prices have become incredibly high. By the way, does anyone know what has happened to Alicia Graf, my favorite Ailey dancer? She is no longer listed in the program as a company member.

In today's NY Post, there is a dance review of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center written by Genevieve Labean. I believe, if memory serves, that she was formerly in the corps de ballet of NYCB. Good for her!

Yesterday's Sunday Styles section of the NY Times contains photos from the Gala. Sarah Jessica Parker and Alicia Keyes, among others, were in attendance. Also some photos of the dancers in their gala attire. Additionally, in yesterday's Times Arts & Leisure section there is an article about Billy Elliot, and the photo includes Stephen Hanna.

Do you think that in the Somova version the dying swan will touch her knee to her ear one last time before expiring?

I attended the gala last night. In view of the constant construction at the Koch Theater over the past few months, I was expecting to see some changes in the theater. The only change I noticed is that the seat cushions were replaced. Peter Martins, during his curtain speech, noted that the cushions are temporary, and will be replaced next year. This was a relief, since the red color of the new cushions did not match the red color of the old seat backs. The first of two curtain speeches was delivered by Peter Martins, where he sang the praises of David Koch. The second curtain speech was delivered by someone from the NY Arts Council (sorry, I missed the name), and he was joined by New York's Senior Senator, Chuck Schumer (spell?). They sang the praises of Koch as well.

On to the ballet. There was way too much of Peter Martins' choreography on this program- too much of a bad thing. For me, the highlight was Balanchine's Unanswered Question w. Janie Taylor and Ulbricht. The other highlight was The Man I Love w. Jennifer Ringer, who looked radiant and danced brilliantly. Her partner, Nilas Martins, looked out of breath by the end. I agree w. the post above the Lauren Flanigan's rendition of the song was less than thrilling.

The audience was bombarded with excerpts of various mediocre works of Peter Martins (Calcium Light Night, Barber Violin Concerto, Jazz , and several others). These works all looked very similar. The best was the pas w. Maria K. and Sebastian M. to Jazz. They delivered a sensuous and well danced performance.

As noted above, the vast talents of Ashley Bouder were wasted. She did some simplistic ensemble work in one of the Jazz excerpts. Love the bangs though!

I wonder what David Koch is now thinking about the renovation of the theater since the person who most wanted to proceed with the project, Gerard Mortier, has quit City Opera.

I have only been attending performances of NYCB since the mid 90s, so I am not able to compare today's company with the golden age when Balanchine led his company. However, I think Macaulay's dismissive comments about the current state of affairs at NYCB lack merit. I attended numerous performances of Rubies performed by the Kirov in April 2008. Most of those performances were, in my opinion, poor. In most instances, the Kirov's Rubies had none of the angularity, attack or wit that NYCB regularly brings to that work. Moreover, focusing on the fact that David Hallberg did a great job in Ballo misses the point. The real focus should be on the lead ballerina. In my opinion, none of ABT's ladies in the principal role this season measured up as compared to the NYCB ladies. Even Gillian Murphy's performances last year, while pretty good, were not remarkable. There are certainly many problems at NYCB, including the fact that their rep. every season is so vast that rehearsal time for each work is limited. However, they certainly don't deserve the severe negative comments that Macaulay made in this article.

I can only be a spectator in this conversation since I haven't been to NYC in over 20 years. But what I'm curious about is why such an article (especially of this length) is being written now. What do you suppose prompted Macaulay's decision to publish such sweeping statements right now. Surely these ideas have been in his mind for a long, long time. As far as I can tell such ideas have been in the minds of other "knowledgable ones" too. So why now?

I think it was prompted by the fact that San Francisco Ballet and ABT recently performed Balanchine works in NYC (in Oct. 2008). Moreover, Macaulay recently went to see Miami City Ballet this fall, and he was apparently very impressed by their performances of Balanchine. Also, the dance scene is a bit slow now in NYC, so he probably had to fill up space with something controversial.

The Mariinsky would have looked much better in that venue, in my opinion.

Yes,, the Mariinsky would have looked much better at the State "Koch" theater. Moreover, I suspect that they would have performed full length ballets if they were performing at the State "Koch". It is a shame that City Opera might fold for good. I, for one, was looking forward to seeing a number of operas that Mortier had scheduled for next season. Beverly Sills must be rolling in her grave!

I'm sure many Ballet Talkers have read the sad debacle re NYC Opera during the past few days. Gerard Mortier, the incoming director, has abrubtly abandoned the sinking ship that is NYC Opera. His stated reason is that the Board of Directors could not come up with the financial support he was purportedly promised to stage various operas in the upcoming season. The future of NYC Opera, which has been losing money, is now in doubt. Ironically, these developments may be favorable to NYC's balletomanes. For many years, the great ballet companies of the world have bypassed visits to New York simply because there is no adequate theater for them to rent. If the"Koch" theater becomes available for most of the year, we New Yorkers might finally be able to see all those great companies that appear at the Kennedy Center and at other major US venues. Also, it is possible that ABT might want to appear at the Koch instead of the MET. (Kevin McKenzie indicated a potential interest in the State Theater in an interview he did a few years ago when City Opera was seeking to build a new theater.) Any thoughts?

When will they promote the amazing Tess Reichlin to principal!

The Opening Night program is not what I would wish for. However, I am looking forward to seeing Who Cares, even if it's only an excerpt. That ballet hasn't been done in a few years.