ivypink

It was positively dreadful.

I'm very excited for this program!

On 8/3/2019 at 7:15 AM, balletforme said:

I think that it might be a good thing for Joy to settle into progressing through the ranks . . . She has it in her and will likely ascend and we will likely see her dancing advance. She needs to keep her life balanced. 

I agree. I have seen her dance live, and I do believe she has it in her to get promoted, and quickly.

I have been following Katie's story and started crying along with her. She is such an inspiration and role model! Brava to her!

2 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

Is she working through an injury? Why is she having so much trouble lifting her legs, particularly her left leg?

It is painful to watch her. Her face looks like someone is holding a gun to her head. Something is very, very wrong here. I've never seen a principal dancer with such poor form. 

On 1/9/2019 at 2:23 PM, fondoffouettes said:

No, if they had wanted to go with someone in-house, I think they might have considered Forster or Royal, both of whom have partnered Shevchenko in the past. By all accounts, Forster pulled off the showy lifts in Nutcracker beautifully. But the company seems to have such limited capacity to coach new roles. 

I agree that I don't think Mack is being brought in as a box-office draw. I didn't mean to sound disparaging when I noted Mack is a former dancer from a regional company (there's nothing wrong with dancing at a regional company!), but I don't really think of him as an international star, though I may be in the minority. He seems to be more a fixture of the gala circuit rather than someone who appears frequently as a guest in full-lengths; ENO would seem to be one of his most prominent guesting gigs so far, though I believe he has also appeared in full-lengths with the national ballet companies of Ukraine and Georgia.

But would I look forward to seeing Mack? Absolutely! It feels like it's been ages since I've looked forward to seeing a new Conrad at ABT. Stearns and Whiteside do nothing for me in the role. Mack's jump looks to be huge.

Mack's jump IS huge! I saw him here in Salt Lake City, and when he came on stage in a jete, I gasped out loud at the height of it. It was really something!

2 hours ago, canbelto said:

Can I say how fabulous Svetlana Zakharova looks as host? 

Her gown is to die for!

Thank you for posting Yukionna! What a wonderful program! The wedding pas de deux with Amanda Gomes and Wagner Carvalho is one of the loveliest I've ever seen. They have such youthful ebullience and even if it was not perfect, I loved it.

I live in Salt Lake City, so I'll beat you there, Helene! 

4 hours ago, Balletwannabe said:

I don't understand her comment about burning out "in 6 months". 

I am fairly certain she is speaking about mental burnout. Joy has spoken openly in her vlogs about depession and anxiety, and as a person who also suffers from these conditions, burnout can indeed happen at six months if you are unhappy and stressed. 

Joy's Instagram from today, where she is exercising on some gym equipment, has me worried for her. She is dangerously thin. 

4 hours ago, Emma said:

It's interesting to see that many of the competition stars do not succeed in company life for whatever reason. I can't remember whether Joy Womack was, in fact, a competition star, but she certainly had significant attention at a young age, as did Gisele Bethea, Juliette something, the girl from first position (not Michaela dePrince, who is so lovely!).

I think they burn out. Too much, too soon, and not enough time to be a child. And being alone with your coach doesn't prepare you for a team environment such as working in a company. As for Miko Fogarty, as I watched "First Position", I got the distinct impression that her mother wanted it more than she did. 

"Maya Plisetskaya of course was famous for her huge leaps..."

I read that she used to take class with the men because she was so strong. But what really sticks out for me are her feet. She is rarely over the box of her pointe shoes, and they appear to be ill-fitting, i.e. very pointed and too tight. But most pointe shoes of that era did, as evidenced in photos. .I don't know how ballerinas danced on that type of shoe. 

7 hours ago, canbelto said:

By these narrow definitions Catelyn Jenner didnt "transition" either bc she has been open that she has elected not to remove the major organs so to speak.

Actually, Jenner did have the surgery to fully transition. She stated this in People magazine early this year.

1 hour ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

At the very end of the whole vlogging thing one can tell  there is her desire to promote her Prima chocolate bars. And I'm sure many of those around her weren't happy to be unpaid members of her marketing campaign 

Her Prima Bars are no longer being manufactured.

9 minutes ago, Vs1 said:

Too bad Disney goers, school groups, movie viewers, Barbie buyers, children's book buyers, will not discover what a ballerina is and can do.

Amen! 

"Does not have a beautiful face"

That's a bit cruel. Having a beautiful face is not a prerequisite to being an excellent dancer. I can think of many dancers whose face is less than handsome/beautiful.

I think David Hallberg has a beautiful physique, especially his high arches. 

I still don't understand why we are so far afield without the moderator stepping in. We should be discussing Joy Womack.

I have seen Joy dance, and it was utterly thrilling. She danced Sugar Plum Fairy with Chase O'Connell of Ballet West at a guesting here in Salt Lake City with a local ballet school. The performance was impeccable. Joy is so glamorous, technically proficient, and artistically polished. Thier fish dive at the end made the audience catch their breath!

Anyone who has doubts about her turnout should watch her most recent video. Her turnout is amazing. So is her extension, strength and flexibility. 

Her personality may be somewhat difficult, but she has not been shy about her struggles with anxiety and depression. These things are frowned upon in Russia, so she probably doesn't have much support. I feel for her.

I think Joy deserves a break. 

Who is Alexandra's mom?

The placement of those fingers make me want to scream.

YES!!!!!!!!!

Smaller-to-mid size ballet companies in the US do not necessarily provide a more stable employment or a better pay. The recently folded Silicon Valley (former San Jose ballet) is just one of the examples. Its shutdown had a devastating effect on company's dancers. They were left with no severance pay or health insurance.

Pretty much like any job anywhere else, sadly.

I like how vagansmom described Joy's dancing as "artistically vacant". That nails how I feel. Joy always appears to be dancing the same thing. Take away the costumes and music to tell you what role she's dancing, and it all looks the same. Yes, she has great technical proficiency. But I have seen 15 year olds with greater artistry. She also seems to lack the lovely ballerina "lightness" that other stars have. That ethereal, magic quality when she moves. She seems more earthbound.

The University of Utah offers BFA in Ballet.

I'm sure they are riding the coat tails of Misty Copeland's publicity. She has brought ballet to the forefront, and that is a good thing. I am sick of Misty Copeland, however. She is not the first black ballerina, and won't be the last. She is pretty and dances well, but is not God's gift to ballet. She dances "heavy" and is missing the ethereal quality essential to a great ballerina.

Adam Sklute has done a great job of making Ballet West a diverse group of dancers, though.

I'm so happy to hear this! I love her dancing and have been a fan since her Ballet West days. I kind of suspected a promotion was in the works because she has been prominently featured in videos and posters recently.