Big Lee Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 I was just watching the New York Channel 25, and I saw a brief documentary made in the 70s featuring Anna-Marie Holmes and her husband called "Tour en l'air" I though the documentary was rather interesting, especially the dynamic between her and her husband. It seemed as if he treated her as if she were a child, yet this surprisingly managed to motivate her extremely strongly. He even said paraphrasing "If I didn't yell at her about her mistakes, and she made one on stage, she'd be even more upset than when I yell at her in rehearsal." I noticed that she is choreographing (after Petipa) Raymonda for ABT and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about her, her husband, the documentary or her dancing. I was especially wondering if anyone had seen her live when she was still performing. Thanks! Link to comment
citibob Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 I've found its very common for male dancers to treat the ladies like children --- even if the ladies have a lot more experience, are olders, etc. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 I don't think I've seen professional ballet masters infantilizing the ladies so much, but even my using the above style to refer to the women bespeaks the Victorian residue of the ballet world. Is it a bad thing? I don't know. :shrug: Link to comment
Big Lee Posted October 11, 2003 Author Share Posted October 11, 2003 What surprised me was that he wasn't her partner or Ballet Master or a professional relation, he was her husband! It was definitely one of the more unusual husband wife dynamics I've seen. Could they really just keep their work at work? I almost forgot the funniest part of the whole thing. He tells her to keep doing this combination which culminates in a big lift, and that he won't actually lift her until she gets it right. So she does it about five or six times and he doesn't even touch her or move, and she starts breathing heavily, at which point he yells at her "what are you huffing and puffing about, I'm doing all the heavy lifting!" I can't judge whether this relationship is good or bad either, but I must admit she seemed rapturous when she finally got it right. Link to comment
Mme. Hermine Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 Well anyway, the relationship doesn't exist anymore; they were divorced many years ago. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 The interesting thing about their repertoire was that they were among the first western dancers regularly to perform the pas de deux from Le Corsaire before it became a staple (i.e. pre-Fonteyn/Nureyev). Link to comment
atm711 Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 Could it have been jealousy that made him treat her that way? She was, by far, the better technician. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 By far the nicest thing I ever saw them do together was a short subject by Canadian film master, Norman MacLaren. It was called "Ballet Adagio" and was in a wonderful slo-mo strobe-effect black-and-white. This ought not to be confused with MacLaren's equally beautiful "Pas de Deux" with Margaret Mercier and Vincent Warren. Link to comment
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