Radio Program on Balanchine

[Jayne]

Broadcast on 12 Feb.2013

http://www.kuow.org/post/art-preserving-balanchine-ballets

An interesting discussion of how the steps are recorded, and passed on.

[KarenAG]

Thank you, Jayne, for posting this. I'll read this over the weekend.

[Jack Reed]

It's worth listening to the audio, too, where Russell defines what a "stager" is more pointedly than the on-screen text does, although that does give the gist of the broadcast item pretty well, and in some of the same phrases.

Russell says, around four minutes into the clip, that

A stager is someone who should have all the information, including the choreographer's intentions, 'cause just the steps without the intentions of the choreographer is - rather meaningless, and then also be able to oversee the lighting, the costumes, the orchestra, be responsible for every aspect of the production.

Some stagings are undercut, in my opinion, by "contemporary" (i.e., dim) lighting, for example, or other inauthentic or inappropriate alterations. Brava to Francia Russell for taking this comprehensive view of her responsibility.

The item has a nice little slide show, too.

Thank you for the post, Jayne.