Gottlieb on Diamond Project ballets and his detractors

[Dale]

Robert Gottlieb is always an interesting, thought-provoking read. This week, his The Dance column in The New York Observer is about the last few Diamond Project ballets. At the end, he goes after those who accuse him and others of nostalgia:

http://www.newyorkobserver.com/20060703/20...ttliebdance.asp

[Farrell Fan]

Do I detect a softening of Mr. Gottlieb's tone about NYCB generally and Peter Martins specifically? Or is the softening in my head? In any event, I love reading him, and I certainly agree about "Cut to Sharp, " the cheers for which had me mystified on its opening night.

[drb]

Do I detect a softening of Mr. Gottlieb's tone about NYCB generally and Peter Martins specifically? Or is the softening in my head? In any event, I love reading him, and I certainly agree about "Cut to Sharp, " the cheers for which had me mystified on its opening night.

Farrell Fan, well, head softening isn't all that bad, as Veronika Part reminded me today. It can be bliss. I was one of those swept along by Slice to Sharp, but will the dancers maintain that ecstacy? So far not. At any rate, I agree with him on Russian Seasons, my favorite premiere, with After the Rain, since The Master left us.

I'd really like to know where his statement There are stirrings in the ranks of the ballet masters and mistresses which may gradually lead to needed changes in casting and coaching. comes from.

Hope.

[bart]

Gottlieb is one of those writers who often impresses me with an idea (often presented in a single striking sentence) that changes the way I look at ballet in the future. Here's one from this review:

Ratmansky knows how to get dancers on and off the stage naturally, alone and in groups (you'd be surprised how many choreographers don't); how to vary pacing and dynamics; how to capitalize on the individuality of his dancers

I've noticed the aimless running on and off in so many contemporary ballets that I otherwise liked. I'll be looking for this problem -- and especially for the solutions provided by the more interesting and resourceful choreographers -- this coming season.

[KayDenmark]

It's interesting for me to see Ratmansky being spoken of as ballet's great hope, since I found the pieces he did here in Copenhagen for the Royal Danish Ballet to be major duds.

Anne Karenina, in particular, was terrible - watachable only because of some great set design. Perhaps he's better at non-narrative works.

[drb]

It's interesting for me to see Ratmansky being spoken of as ballet's great hope, since I found the pieces he did here in Copenhagen for the Royal Danish Ballet to be major duds....

Guess we've been lucky in NYC. He's two-for-two here, the wonderful The Bright Stream last summer with The Bolshoi and now Russian Seasons. While admiration of the former plus familiarities with Robbins ballets may have primed the audience's welcome of the latter, the two do share an impressive trait. In both the story ballet and the (sort of) abstract one, each dancer is a very distinct individual. You know them quickly, and remember who they are throughout each ballet. This was an immense help in following The Bright Stream's story, and in making the viewer care about each person, since they were so real. It also added a completing dimension that gave special coherence and continuity to Russian Seasons. One wants to see it again, in part, because we like and care about the dancers. The rave reviews are creating quite a buzz on Russian Forums. This great success is, I believe, quite helpful to Mr. Ratmansky. I hope he will continue to choreograph for NYCB.

Sure, we are lucky. Even Balanchine had more duds than hits!

[atm711]

Even Balanchine had more duds than hits!

As was once said in the Old West-----"Thems fighting words"

[Helene]

Even Balanchine had more duds than hits!

As was once said in the Old West-----"Thems fighting words"

I agree, atm711. Of the 425 works in the Balanchine catalogue, over 80 have been performed in the last couple of decades. Some ballets were redone, with earlier versions mostly retired -- Palais de Cristal to Symphony in C, Caracole to Divertimento No. 15 -- several were multiple versions to the same music done years apart -- Mozartiana, Baiser de la Fee, Variations for Orchestra -- others were expansions and re-workings of pieces done elsewhere -- ex: Chaconne from a commission for the Hamburg State Opera. A few were pièces d'occasion for the Festivals. Many short works were choreographed for operas and serious theater, and others for Broadway and Hollywood.

Of the ballets in (relatively) final version that were performed by ballet companies, how many actual duds were there? PAMTAGG is usually cited.

Having seen The Steadfast Tin Soldier for what seemed like two weeks straight in the mid-80's, never having warmed up to Variations pour une Porte et un Soupir, and always wishing I was seeing Symphony in C when Gounod Symphony was being performed, there are exactly three ballets my vote for the exception to Arlene Croce's rule that "[t]he greatest Balanchine ballet is the one you happen to be watching."

[drb]

Well, 425 - 80 = 345, minus the distinctly counted earlier versions that were also masterpieces. But that's the flaw in my "math": Balanchine's non-duds are masterpieces, or near. Other than Ashton, who else even reaches double digits?

Peace?

[Helene]

For a more granular breakdown, of those 425 works listed:

35-created before he left Russia, for Petrograd Theater Ballet School graduations, concert performances, resorts, the Maly Opera, Evenings of Young Ballet, and a benefit in 1924 for his beloved Elizaveta Gerdt.

106-choregraphed for opera companies

43-cabarets, musicals, made for TV, plays -- including one The Tempest with Raymond Massey, Fritz Weaver, Christopher Plummer, Jack Palance as Caliban!, Joan Chandler, and Roddy McDowall as Ariel! -- films, pantomimes, and revues

8-pièces d'occasion for the elephants at Ringling Bros., a ballet at the Ford Pavillion, a USO appearance, and Symphony of Psalms, in which the dancers sat onstage and listened to the choir sing the work

6-alterations to other people's choreography

13-small commissions for dancers (Ruth Page, Anna Pavlova), parties, charities

If I've done the math correctly, that's 211 pieces that would not be expected to be part of the active repetoire, although opera would be a great deal richer if those 106 dances had been retained.

That leaves 214 ballets made for repertory, and if 80 are performed, that's a .374 batting average, without counting the number of works that were listed for each revival -- Apollo (at least three), Les Bourgeois Gentilhommes, and Les Enfants et Les Sortilege, are just three -- or the number of works that no one could remember in time to preserve.

Hardly shabby by any means.

[drb]

And of course there were those "of their time" that must have been wonderful then but which he didn't keep based upon changing taste (his and ours), and those could well get his batting average over Ty Cobb's best! Thanks Helene for bringing us back, in this time of World Cup distraction, to America's national passtime, so appropriate to this most American choreographer!

[DanceTherapist]

What piece did Jorma Elo set on NYCB at the Diamond project ? I read the review in the New York Times but forgot the name of ballet. I understand that New York audiences were very enthusiastic over it and the reviwer said in which he had not seen an audience respond so favorably in a long time. I saw his ballet the "Grey Room" in which he set on Boston Ballet a few years back and the audience went nuts over it and in fact the Boston Globe named it number one on the Best of Boston in dance for that year. He is definately becoming very well known outside of Boston and I heard in which he is supposed to set one of his works on ABT as well.

[Juliet]

Actually The Grey Area, which Boston did about 4 years ago is the work of David Dawson, a British choreographer. Elo did a piece for Boston called Sharp Side of Dark, ang then his Carmen earlier this season. He is the resident choreographer for Boston Ballet at this time.

The Diamond Project piece is called Slice to Sharp.

Everyone looked terrific and there were some significant highlights....Kowrowski in some great allegro work and especially the partnership of DeLuz and Scheller......

[DanceTherapist]

Juliet, Thank you for the clarification on David Dawson's ballet the Grey Area. I was wrong on both counts concerning the name and the choreographer. I loved this work alot and hope that Boston Ballet will perform it again in the future. The Jorma Elo work in which I was thinking about was Plan to B which was a World premiere for Boston Ballet and was the first time in which I had seen his choreography and I do remember the audience response was very enthusiastic. I do believe that the Grey Area ( 2003) and Plan to B ( 2004) both made it onto the Boston Globes Best of Boston Dance list. Thanks Again.