Wendy Whelan on Charlie Rose

[Dale]

Wendy Whelan is listed a "future guest" on the Charlie Rose website www.charlierose.com. So she could be coming up Tuesday. I don't want to say exactly, as it does not list a date, but keep a look out for her.

[Starr]

Thank you for the heads up Dale!

[KayDenmark]

Wendy has been getting a lot of media attention recently - well-deserved, of course, but is there a particular reason the attention should come now, as opposed to at some other time?

Usually news organisations look for a "news hook", ie a signficant role, significant birthday, significant event, etc.

[oberon]

Possible reasons for media attention to Wendy:

1 this is her 20th year with the Company

2 she's made a comeback from a big injury

3 this is her first season dancing without her special partner, Jock Soto

4 she recently got married

5 she's Wendy

[Dale]

It's confirmed for tonight, which usually means it will be re-broadcast the next afternoon.

[AmandaNYC]

It's confirmed for tonight, which usually means it will be re-broadcast the next afternoon.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks so much for the heads-up on this! I set my DVR last night to record all eps of Charlie Rose this week, so I wouldn't miss it. Glad to know I can catch it tonight!

-amanda

[canbelto]

Wendy has been getting a lot of media attention recently - well-deserved, of course, but is there a particular reason the attention should come now, as opposed to at some other time?

I think it's because as Darci Kistler and Kyra Nichols are in the twilight of their careers, the NYCB needs a sort of prima ballerina assoluta of sorts.

[carbro]

Good for Wendy! Not only did she prove that dancers can talk intelligently (and with good humor) (this one, at least), but for the first time I heard a guest on that show actually tell Charlie that he asked a bad question. But then, I only watch when I Must See the guest.

[drb]

Obviously he didn't know anything about Wendy and was really let down by his staff. Someone should have given him a question with either "Wheeldon" or "After the Rain" in it. As it was, Wendy was stuck with having to give very short answers since the guy would not know what she was talking about.

One interesting remark was that her roles of choice would be romantic ones by Balanchine. He had no real reply to that, thinking she was talking about "the classics." Bet what she was talking about included Bizet second movement!

Worth seeing for the clip of her dancing in "Glass Pieces."

By the way, she looked great!

[adagio1]

drb-

regarding your apparent dismay over the omission of an "After the Rain" question by the Charlie... A ten minute dance hardly seems significant when discussing a 20 yr career, I think.

I thought it was a great interview. However, I suppose some people will always be disappointed when the subject of an interview is someone they "know" more so than Billy in Idaho for whom shows like this is for.

[Helene]

drb-

regarding your apparent dismay over the omission of an "After the Rain" question by the Charlie...  A ten minute dance hardly seems significant when discussing a 20 yr career, I think. 

As a muse for a man who has been touted as the young savior of classical ballet, and one who has worked with the dancer in her prime, it would have been insightful for Rose to have asked Whelan a question about Wheeldon. As for After the Rain, it would have been a good segue into her partnership with Jock Soto, what it means to have a great partner, etc.

Even William from Idaho might have been interested

[justafan]

Any time Rose has had someone from the dance world on his show, I've been disappointed. Not because he doesn't know anything at all about ballet/dance -- he freely admits that and I don't think lack of knowledge is such a bad thing when you're trying to gain some information. But his interviewing style gets in the way when he knows so little. He interrupts frequently and has a horrible habit of answering his own questions. So not only does he ask poor questions from a position of ignorance, he sometimes tries to answer them himself!

Wendy was lovely. And frankly, I agree that there is a lot more -- a whole lot more -- to her career than Wheeldon and Soto. They are important but that's not her entire oeuvre. Other key subjects are Balanchine, Robbins, New York City Ballet, her learning to dance the classics, etc. I would have liked to hear her views on the state of ballet in 2006, trends, etc.

Nevertheless, it's great that he had her on. Rose has carved out this position as the interviewer for the cognescenti. Ballet could use more exposure in this realm if it is to regain some share of mind, even if the interview falls flat.

I'm sure this interview was a direct result of the New York Times magazine piece and possibly a public relations push on the part of NYCB to celebrate Whelan's 20th anniversary. They've got other dancers to promote. I hope they pick someone each year and really give them a PR push -- Nichols, Kistler, Woetzel, Bouder and even Peter Martins are all good subjects for this type of venue.

[AmandaNYC]

I thought Whelan came off looking quite intelligent and poised considering the surprisingly bad interview. I have only watched Rose once or twice before, and so was shocked at how bad he did-- i just *assumed* he'd be good. As justafan said, he answered his own questions, so that Whelan was only left to agree / say yes. He didn't ask many open-ended questions that would leave room for Whelan to give thoughtful responses. When he did, it was quite interesting-- her comments about feeling more free now, and being able indulge herself in the dance, whereas when you're younger it's all about control. In light of that, it makes sense she is more interested in the more romantic Balanchine roles than the leotard ballets. I remember reading in an interview a long time ago that she would love to do La Valse...

-amanda

[drb]

It would have seemed natural that once he learned she was interested in Balanchine's romantic roles he would have engaged her on that topic: would have liked her to have a chance to say which ones and why.

As for Wheeldon, isn't she the first ballerina since Farrell to be a Muse for a major choreographer? Imagine how that experience has informed ALL her dancing. It would have been interesting to hear from her on that. Had Farrell not been a creative Muse for Balanchine, yet still danced the major roles made for others, I don't doubt that she'd have been a great dancer. But would she still have become the ultimate?

To some Wendy's role in "After the Rain" is her Everest. It is about as "must see" as anything in the rep. Other roles may, or may eventually, tower over this one. Certainly some of her recent Symphony in C's have attained a new majesty. But might not the Muse experience have helped?

She was asked about partners, and she diplomatically stated her preference for older ones, valuing what she learned from them, yet accepting her responsibility to give back by helping younger partners. She handled that with class and diplomacy. Too bad Mr. Soto was not brought up: might not Nureyev be mentioned when interviewing Fonteyn?

Clearly Mr. Rose had been prepped with the Times article, given his early questions re her husband's remarks. And it did lead to her charming description of her cooking-as-performance (even to being applauded by dinner guests!).

[32tendu]

Did anyone happen to tape it?

My local never posts the guests until the following day. So sadly, I missed it.

:mellow:

[dirac]

I didn't think this was so bad, actually. As noted above, Rose does have a bad habit of interrupting his guests. It’s true that, as he admitted, he’s not well versed in dance and so perhaps couldn’t draw Whelan out in some respects. However, he did an interview with Susan Jaffe on the occasion of her retirement that went quite well.

Generally speaking, with guests who are well versed in the art of the interview, Rose will ask a question and in answering the guest will develop a theme (when Charlie permits, of course. ). You saw this with the British politician Chris Patten, who preceded Whelan; even with some of Rose’s less promising sallies, Patten would respond with paragraphs. I wouldn’t necessarily expect that kind of loquacity from Whelan, but when Rose asked Whelan about her favorite roles, I could see how that might have led into more details, and he did try; he asked Whelan if by romantic roles she meant the classics, and she said, no, she meant Balanchine-style romanticism, and I was actually waiting for her to say something like, “A ballet like La Valse or Ballade, for example” and talk along those lines.

[justafan]

Well, I would agree that Whelan could have helped him. But I think she did as well as could be expected.

Being interviewed for television is quite a skill -- it's much harder than it looks. That's why most people who are often trotted out for interviews get professional coaching. (Not that I'm suggesting she needed that. I think she did fine, really.) There is not enough time on TV for considered response -- you have to have a clear message in mind before the interview and figure out how to insert it in answer to whatever question comes up.

Still, I think Rose could have handled things better by asking very general questions, refraining from answering them himself, and then just asking for elaboration. (I think he sometimes answers his own questions because he is thinks they sound stupid as soon as he comes out of his mouth. Oddly, he's not as bad when he knows the subject.)

In any case, I dont' think Whelan's appearance on the show could ever hope to tell readers of this board much -- particularly in 15 minutes. I always hope these opportunities can spark some interest in ballet in general. What we really need is for Lesley Stahl to interview her or Martins for 60 minutes (although maybe not. 60 minutes isn't exactly required viewing for the under 40 set.)

[Farrell Fan]

What we really need is for Lesley Stahl to interview her or Martins for 60 minutes (although maybe not. 60 minutes isn't exactly required viewing for the under 40 set.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Perhaps you thought of Lesley Stahl because she's on the NYCB Board of Directors. Some years ago she did interview Peter Martins and Suzanne Farrell at the New York State Theater, for a Guild seminar. Although she doesn't have Charlie Rose's annoying habit of talking just when his guest is starting to say something, as a moderator she was not a success. Her knowledge at that time of NYCB, Balanchine, and the Farrell-Martins partnership, were quite limited. I felt that Ms. Stahl set the possibility of a Farrell-Martins reconciliation back by years on that occasion and maybe permanently.

[carbro]

So sadly, I missed it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Quick, tendu, :hyper: go to http://charlierose.com/ and scroll down to Wendy's picture. The interview will be available for 24 hours, but I don't know when they start counting.

[justafan]

Yes, Farrell Fan, that's exactly what I was thinking. The TV magazine format is a good one for this sort of piece on the arts. You can show snippets of performances, edit out boring parts of interviews, etc. And since Stahl is on the NYCB board, I've always thought it is something she might do.

Morley Safter, who seems to be quite the opera buff, does this sort of thing often. I'm not much of an opera-goer but I always find those pieces interesting and opera becomes more accessible to me as a result of them. I'm sure subscribers to the Met don't learn much from his interviews/stories on Renee Fleming, James Levine, Cecilia Bartoli and the like, but they probably enjoy them.

I didn't see the Stahl interview of Martins and Farrell and certainly wouldn't want a repeat of something like that , of course. But there is something to be said for controversy.

[adagio1]

Stahl interviewed Jock Soto at the Guild Luncheon last year. It seemed odd how uninformed she was considering her status on the Board.