dirac Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Frank Ohman has written his autobiography. Balanchine, who loved the American West, called Ohman his “cowboy.” Apparently sensing the young man’s bewilderment, he began offering advice on personal, career, and spiritual matters. This relationship lasted until Balanchine’s death. “Like a caring father figure, he seemed more concerned about my character than my dancing,” writes Ohman. Link to comment
Stage Right Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Thank you for this head's up! Sounds like a good one. Link to comment
Neryssa Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 The positive and spiritual tone of the book is nice when Ohman is writing about his grandmother or Balanchine but I was quite disappointed with the book as a whole. It is not detailed enough. Has anybody else read it? Link to comment
California Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I skimmed it. He does provide a lot of detail on his interaction with Balanchine, which is interesting. I was struck at how informal and un-bureaucratic Balanchine was in those days in hiring dancers, letting them take leaves of absence, etc. Link to comment
Neryssa Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I skimmed it. He does provide a lot of detail on his interaction with Balanchine, which is interesting. I was struck at how informal and un-bureaucratic Balanchine was in those days in hiring dancers, letting them take leaves of absence, etc. Thanks, California. I wanted more detail about the ballets and Balanchine. Also, it was very repetitive in spots. Is there an older thread titled something to the effect of "Memoirs or Biographies I Want To Read (meaning, I want to read an autobiography/biography that hasn't been written or published yet by a dancer). Link to comment
kfw Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Is there an older thread titled something to the effect of "Memoirs or Biographies I Want To Read (meaning, I want to read an autobiography/biography that hasn't been written or published yet by a dancer). Indeed there is. Who needs a biography? Thanks, Neryssa and California, for filling us in. Link to comment
Neryssa Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Is there an older thread titled something to the effect of "Memoirs or Biographies I Want To Read (meaning, I want to read an autobiography/biography that hasn't been written or published yet by a dancer). Indeed there is. Who needs a biography? Thanks, Neryssa and California, for filling us in. Thank you for the link! :-D Link to comment
Helene Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 I enjoyed reading this book a lot. It read like listening to someone tell his story sitting by a fireplace, where repetition feels very natural. I felt that he talked/wrote about what was important to him and what he wanted to articulate. That wasn't, though, detailed descriptions of learning and creating roles. It was a very personal book. Link to comment
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