4mrdncr Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 An FYI/Heads Up: A new 240 page "coffee table size" hardcover book by Nancy Ellison "In Classic Style: The Splendor of American Ballet Theatre" is scheduled to be published by Rizzoli April 2008. The cover pic is the 'fish' from Sleeping Beauty's Act III Grand Pas with Angel Corella & Paloma Herrera; Red Riding Hood, Cinderella & Prince, and Puss etc. looking on upstage. Amazon is taking pre-orders. Link to comment
Dale Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Thanks for this. It looks like a companion to the book she did of the Met Opera: "In Grand Style: The Glory of the Metropolitan Opera." (just exchange classic for grand and splendor for glory). List price is $100. Mmm.... Link to comment
SanderO Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 The Met Opera book is certainly lovely. Mine is accepting autographs from my favorite singers. Is it true that Nancy Ellison and her husband have donated a huge amount of money to the MetOpera? The play bills list the donors, no? What is the deal with getting to take photos of the Met and the ABT? I have seen several photographers ensconced in the center of the orchestra at a dress rehearsal, Ms Ellison, and Mr Schiavone among them. Nice gig if you can get it.... ha? I am sure this book is going to be stunning if the MetOpera one is the model. I'm there. Link to comment
4mrdncr Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 The Met Opera book is certainly lovely. Mine is accepting autographs from my favorite singers. Is it true that Nancy Ellison and her husband have donated a huge amount of money to the MetOpera? The play bills list the donors, no?What is the deal with getting to take photos of the Met and the ABT? I have seen several photographers ensconced in the center of the orchestra at a dress rehearsal, Ms Ellison, and Mr Schiavone among them. Nice gig if you can get it.... ha? I am sure this book is going to be stunning is the MetOpera one is the model. I'm there. I, too, have seen the photographers at the dress rehearsals, but please don't imply that they got there because they were major donors. I believe that Ms. Ellison and her husband have donated to ABT, but she has been photographing them for many years now--including previously published titles, and has earned her position through her work. Because a production is COPYRIGHT by the company, designers, choreographers etc.etc., the company and venues restrict us unauthorized ones from snapping away. You have to get special permission from ALL involved legally in order to have the right to photograph and/or videotape a production. In music we have 'blanket' agencies and such organizations as BMI and ASCAP etc. to save some of the legal legwork, but don't know how many such organizations exist strictly for dance companies. Either way, it is not an open invitation for anyone to photograph ABT, but a carefully 'screened' and vetted hiring process. Link to comment
Helene Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 In the programs of many companies are donations from the Artistic Directors and former ADs and many other people associated with the companies, and usually more than a few with the same last names. Often, someone will be hired by the companies for some work and will decide to donate back to the company, at least according to the chronology of being listed as a writer, photographer, etc. and then appearing on the donor list. Link to comment
albrown1202 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Where can I purchase this book? Link to comment
carbro Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 On the publisher's page for the book, you'll find a link, "Ordering Information." And welcome, albrown, to BalletTalk! Link to comment
Haglund's Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 If you order through the above referenced link, you'll be charged $100 for the book. Barnes and Noble is offering it for an online price of $80 and a member price of $72. Amazon.com is offering it for $63 and if you preorder (as of today anyway), you get an extra 5% discount plus free shipping. Amazon reports the current release date to be April 29th. Link to comment
Barbara Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 My Nancy Ellison ABT book, pre-ordered from Amazon, arrived today! My goodness - I'll have to get a larger coffee table. I've only had time to open a few pages and can't wait to really dig in. It's beautiful! Link to comment
Natalia Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I received mine last week, too. Mixed feelings here. I'm happy that an esteemed an art-book publisher, Rizzoli, took-on a classical-ballet project. That alone gets my vote! Most of the photos are lovely... However... Too many photos are incredibly UNflattering of some dancers (Michele Wiles, for ex), both principals and corps. I can only imagine what Russian ballet masters might think of the "line" of some of the ABT corps ladies, as shown in this book (Lilacs Attendants, most noticeably). I've seen these ladies live and they definitely do NOT look this big-muscular in person! How on earth the photographer could make them look like candidates for the Miss Olympia Body-Building Competition is beyond me. I'm VERY disappointed in the way that that the book/photos have been organized -- by ballet...and only 8 or so works are included, most with only a couple of sets of principals. So here we have a very costly enterprise of a book, with one-eighth of the space devoted to the yukky SLEEPING BEAUTY 2007, another eighth to the horrendous OTHELLO, another eighth to my least-favorite 3-act ballet MANON. Only two one-act ballets included: THE DREAM (with Xiomara Reyes as the lone Titania) and, thank goodness, SYMPHONY CONCERTANTE...but with only the Kent/Herrera/Saveliev trio and not the heavenly grouping of Wiles/Part/Gomez. It's a shame that this could not have been done in a 'Year in the Life of ABT' format that would have allowed equal number of backstage and on-stage photos, with multiple dancers of all ranks highlighted in particular photos. Instead, it's like an eight-ballet subscription to an ABT MET season...only that you cannot chose the ballets you'd like to see or your fave dancers in particular roles. Case in point: only one semi-flattering photo of Veronika Part (as Nikiya) in the whole book. In short, not at all what I had expected. Somewhat of a waste, IMO. [At least I paid the Amazon.com pre-order price of around $64...but, still, 64 bucks are 64 bucks.] Link to comment
bart Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 IAmazon.com is offering it for $63 [ ... ]Just wanted to remind everyone that, if you click the Amazon box at the top of the pages and order from there, a percentage of your purchase price goes to Ballet Talk. Since the price is apparently the lowest of other major sources, this is a win-win situation. Link to comment
Dale Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 There's an exhibit: In Classic Style: The Splendor of American Ballet Theatre PHOTO EXHIBITION to open may 19 at the METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE An exhibition of photographs from the recently released book IN CLASSIC STYLE: The Splendor of American Ballet Theatre (Rizzoli), a collection of work by photographer Nancy Ellison, will take place in Founder’s Hall at the Metropolitan Opera House during ABT’s 2008 Spring season. IN CLASSIC STYLE: The Splendor of American Ballet Theatre captures ABT in its full-color, panoramic glory. This oversized, deluxe volume documents performances of ten ballets photographed during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. IN CLASSIC STYLE offers a front-row seat to the choreography, sets and costumes that are the hallmarks of ABT’s productions. Award-winning photographer Nancy Ellison is the author of numerous books, including American Ballet Theatre’s The Ballet Book and In Grand Style: The Glory of the Metropolitan Opera. IN CLASSIC STYLE: The Splendor of American Ballet Theatre is available for sale online at www.rizzoliusa.com and during performances at the Metropolitan Opera House throughout ABT’s 2008 Spring season. Link to comment
4mrdncr Posted May 7, 2008 Author Share Posted May 7, 2008 I received mine last week, too. Mixed feelings here. I'm happy that an esteemed an art-book publisher, Rizzoli, took-on a classical-ballet project. That alone gets my vote! Most of the photos are lovely... However... Too many photos are incredibly UNflattering of some dancers (Michele Wiles, for ex), both principals and corps. It's a shame that this could not have been done in a 'Year in the Life of ABT' format that would have allowed equal number of backstage and on-stage photos, with multiple dancers of all ranks highlighted in particular photos. Instead, it's like an eight-ballet subscription to an ABT MET season...only that you cannot chose the ballets you'd like to see or your fave dancers in particular roles. In short, not at all what I had expected. Somewhat of a waste, IMO. [At least I paid the Amazon.com pre-order price of around $64...but, still, 64 bucks are 64 bucks.] Yes, Amazon has the best price, and I paid the same for my copy. I also pre-ordered a second copy for a friend through B&N and received a damaged copy with one picture horribly disfigured by what looked like oil droplets rained across it. Of course I immediately returned it, of course the idiot clerk thought the damage was intrinsic to the picture and put the copy back on the shelf for sale! Buyer beware. I also agree regarding the inclusion of unflattering pictures: faulty line, ballerinas with glazed eyes (white flash reflections I presume that could have been fixed in editing), odd expressions, limited casting. The choice of ballets was last year's Met season, nothing more. But all in all, I am glad that the book was published, and that after the retrospective volumes of other prominent companies, with lovely pics also, but mostly B&W--I am glad it was ABT that was showcased, and in color. Link to comment
Haglund's Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Just received my copy from Amazon.com after initially receiving a damaged box that was empty. The book is beautiful, and I’m glad that Ellison concentrated on performance pictures. Her last book, The Ballet Book, focused more on the process than the performance. While some pictures are out of focus along the outsides, I think that there are some jewels in there: the photos from Othello, Dvorovenko in Romeo & Juliet in a scene with Victor Barbee and (I believe) Corey Stearns as Paris, all of the pictures of Nina. The book must weigh 10 pounds! Link to comment
sealings Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 i saw a sign for this event at bn yesterday: May 27, 2008 7:00 PM Author Event Nancy Ellison: In Classic Style: The Splendor of American Ballet Theatre Non-Fiction Barnes & Noble Booksellers Lincoln Triangle Lincoln Triangle 1972 Broadway New York, NY 10023 212-595-6859 Link to comment
Recommended Posts