Suzanne Farrell Ballet - First newsletter

[Victoria Page]

http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/bal...rell/backstage/

Perhaps this is not the clearest newsletter layout but it's a good start. There's a link to the company's tour for the Fall/Spring season.

[Dale]

Pretty cool. You have to keep clicking on the right side on the first page to get all the pages. Nice to have a schedule, too. Thanks! Nice to see that on the new company website there's an interview with Andrew Kaminski (especially for those who have been following his career from SAB and earlier).

[bart]

Thanks, Victoria. I was struck by the alliance Farrell seems to be making between her company (or part of it) and her professorship at Florida State University:

The Company's Balanchine Preservation Initiative (BPI) continues with Balanchine's Haieff Divertimento.

Most recently, the company spent two weeks in residence at Florida State University where Suzanne is an Eppes Scholar Professor. This residency provided a unique opportunity for Suzanne and select Company Members to explore repertoire for the Company's upcoming season. Company Members joined FSU students each morning for ballet class enriching the residency experience for both Company Members and students.

The Company spent considerable time working on the latest BPI work, Haieff Divertimento. This ballet set to Alexei Haieff's "Divertimento for small orchestra, 1944" was first performed by New York City Ballet on January 13, 1947. The original cast included Tanaquil Le Clercq, Francisco Moncion and four additional couples. The Balanchine Trust notes that "the ballet combines popular American dance idioms and modern concert dance with classic ballet." Until now, only Kansas City Ballet (1985) and New York City Ballet (1993) have performed this ballet. As one of only three companies to bring this work to the stage, our presentation next season will mark the first time audiences have seen this ballet in nearly 17 years.

I did not know anything about this particular Divertimento, created for Ballet Society and premiered at a venue dear to my heart, Hunter College Playhouse, so I picked just checked in the index of a Edwin Denby compilation:

Divertimento is quick and sharp. It has a hint of juvenile romance, a curiously tender, very novel pas de deux, a virtuoso girl's solo that looks all simple and dewy, and a wonderful ending.

Sounds like a most valuable project. It's very impressive that Farrell is taking it on.

P.S.: Thanks to Jack Reed for catching a typo. Originally, I wrote "David" Denby. For some reason, I can never get these two names right.

[perky]

Things are looking good for us to go to the Ann Arbor dates!

[gavinpaget]

Thanks Victoria , great start and hope it goes well