Balanchine at City Center

[ABT Fan]

Yep, prices are high, but I expected that. I’m also not seeing ABT or NYCB for the same reasons as cobweb. Looking forward to this and to being in the gorgeous City Center theatre again!

[canbelto]

Well but the first two performances with NYCB have by far the best programs. I'm dying to see MCB do Serenade, SFB do Divertimento, Mariinsky do Apollo, etc. So that's what I got.

[cubanmiamiboy]

On 5/17/2018 at 11:34 AM, maps said:

The Mariinsky will perform at City Center [1 of 8 companies] in fall 2018.  https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2018-2019/Balanchine/ 

Chronological list of Balanchine pre 1965:  http://balanchine.com/category/chronological/  

Where is 1944 "Waltz Academy" ?...Alonso danced in it and I vaguely remember a mid 80's staging she did in Havana for a double tribute Balanchine/Massine in which she presented both WA and Aleko. By then she was mid 60's, still dancing and very much sharp.

https://goo.gl/images/9YcBq4

https://goo.gl/images/oyoZtZ

Edited July 10, 2018 by cubanmiamiboy

[fondoffouettes]

47 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

Where is 1944 "Waltz Academy" ?...Alonso danced in it and I vaguely remember a mid 80's staging she did in Havana for a double tribute Balanchine/Massine in which she presented both WA and Aleko. By then she was mid 60's, still dancing and very much sharp.

https://goo.gl/images/9YcBq4

https://goo.gl/images/oyoZtZ

For what it's worth, this 2004 review by Anna Kisselgoff describes Waltz Academy as a lost work. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/arts/ballet-theater-review-recalling-balanchine-before-city-ballet.html

If it were revived as late as the 1980s by Alonso, it's too bad no record of the choreography has survived.

[cubanmiamiboy]

10 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

For what it's worth, this 2004 review by Anna Kisselgoff describes Waltz Academy as a lost work. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/arts/ballet-theater-review-recalling-balanchine-before-city-ballet.html

If it were revived as late as the 1980s by Alonso, it's too bad no record of the choreography has survived.

Through the 80's and early 90's Aonso presented the three B works she had danced in-(WA, Apollo and T&V)- in her own stagings... without the Trust licensing-(which at some point created a major legal issue). For what I can tell T&V was just exactly as I have seen it here, but Apollo was longer and somehow different in style and less bare-(later, while already in US, I knew about the revisions done by B). There are probably bootlegs of that gala somewhere, but no official recording was made. Given the resolute way in which she has treated the works she danced in through the years, it would had been a great idea to have the work somehow recorded. But it wasn't done, sadly. 

So...the fact that it is "lost" is the reason for not being on the Trust list...?

[California]

11 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

Through the 80's and early 90's Aonso presented the three B works she had danced in-(WA, Apollo and T&V)- in her own stagings... without the Trust licensing-(which at some point created a major legal issue). For what I can tell T&V was just exactly as I have seen it here, but Apollo was longer and somehow different in style and less bare-(later, while already in US, I knew about the revisions done by B). There are probably bootlegs of that gala somewhere, but no official recording was made. Given the resolute way in which she has treated the works she danced in through the years, it would had been a great idea to have the work somehow recorded. But it wasn't done, sadly. 

So...the fact that it is "lost" is the reason for not being on the Trust list...?

The George Balanchine Foundation has what they call the Interpreters Archive on tape. I remember seeing one on VHS with Alonso back in the 90s that was in my University library collection. I'm pretty sure that was T&V, although it's been a long time. Apparently these are now available at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the NYPL. 

http://www.balanchine.org/balanchine/03/gbfvideoarchives.html

Edited July 11, 2018 by California

[cubanmiamiboy]

2 hours ago, California said:

The George Balanchine Foundation has what they call the Interpreters Archive on tape. I remember seeing one on VHS with Alonso back in the 90s that was in my University library collection. I'm pretty sure that was T&V, although it's been a long time. Apparently these are now available at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the NYPL. 

http://www.balanchine.org/balanchine/03/gbfvideoarchives.html

Yes. That was for T&V. There's a video of her coaching Paloma Herrera and Corella in the roles. But my question remains as to why Waltz Academy is not even listed, as if it never existed. I wonder if that's the same case with other of his "lost" ballets...

[Quiggin]

A good selection of the Balanchine Interpreters Archives is available from Alexander Street which provides online content to public libraries. Here's the San Francisco Public Library's listing for the Theme & Variations tutorial given by Alicia Alonso and Josefina Mendez, whose words see for Alonso. Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella are the dancers. Very worth watching.

http://sflib1.sfpl.org/search~S1?/Xalicia+alonso&searchscope=1&SORT=D/Xalicia+alonso&searchscope=1&SORT=D&SUBKEY=alicia+alonso/1%2C10%2C10%2CB/frameset&FF=Xalicia+alonso&searchscope=1&SORT=D&4%2C4%2C

Alexander Street:

https://alexanderstreet.com/products/music-dance-online-public-libraries

 

 

[fondoffouettes]

14 hours ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

Yes. That was for T&V. There's a video of her coaching Paloma Herrera and Corella in the roles. But my question remains as to why Waltz Academy is not even listed, as if it never existed. I wonder if that's the same case with other of his "lost" ballets...

Yes, the Balanchine Trust only lists active repertoire, since they are in charge of licensing works for performances. For a complete list of works Balanchine created, you have to go to the Balanchine Foundation's catalogue: http://www.balanchine.org/balanchine/search.jsp. 

[KarenAG]

On 6/22/2018 at 3:09 PM, Rick said:

Apologies if this is the wrong forum but does anyone recall a recent ABT performance of Balanchine's Symphonie Concertante (Mozart)? I'm just trying to anticipate possible casting for November 3 and 4. Thank you.

https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2018-2019/Balanchine/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DEV18BalanchineAnnounceMEM&utm_content=version_A

Edit: oops, never mind, the photo shows Gillian Murphy and Stella Abrera.

Is Symphonie Concertante the piece Maria Tallchief talks about that she and Tanny danced, one a viola and the other a violin? 

Edited July 22, 2018 by KarenAG
Sp/typos

[KarenAG]

15 minutes ago, KarenAG said:

Is Symphonie Concertante the piece Maria Tallchief talks about that she and Tanny danced, one a viola and the other a violin? 

I need to do better homework on the thread - I see the work is indeed for  violin and viola and I do believe Maria and Tanny danced it. Thank you if anyone wants to confirm. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by KarenAG
Spelling/typos

[nanushka]

6 minutes ago, KarenAG said:

I need to do better homework on the thread - I see the work is indeed for  violin and viola and I do believe Maria and Tanny danced it. Thank you if sny one wants to confirm. 

Yes, following the SAB original, they premiered the work for Ballet Society, with Todd Bolender.

Though it's not in the active repertoire at NYCB, there is a rep page for the work on their website here.

Edited July 22, 2018 by nanushka

[KarenAG]

18 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Yes, following the SAB original, they premiered the work for Ballet Society, with Todd Bolender.

Though it's not in the active repertoire at NYCB, there is a rep page for the work on their website here.

Thank you, Nanushka.  

The programs I’d love to see are Program II, Thu eve, and Program VI, Sun matinee.  It would be fun to see two different companies dance Tchai Pas, see no less than 5 new companies (Royal, Mariinsky, SFB, Joffrey and POB!), besides being able to cheer on our own beloved NYCB and ABT. I think I can only do one of them, living in Albany, and it will probably be the matinee, but I’d love to make that work!! Could also do both matinees, repeating 4Ts.

 

[KarenAG]

This is the clip I mentioned today. It’s from Dancing for Mr B: Six Ballerinas, a great documentary from Anne Belle. 

 

[KarenAG]

On 6/22/2018 at 3:33 PM, maps said:

In 1983 that ballet was part of a very special evening at ABT by Baryshnikov, AD.  Balanchine recently passed away. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/03/arts/ballet-abt-opens-with-symphonie.html 

This is excellent, thank you, maps. It makes me so sad to think of George Balanchine’s death and how it affected America’s and, of course, New York City’s ballet community.  I love Baryshnikov’s tribute. 

On 6/22/2018 at 3:33 PM, maps said:

In 1983 that ballet was part of a very special evening at ABT by Baryshnikov, AD.  Balanchine recently passed away. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/03/arts/ballet-abt-opens-with-symphonie.html 

This is excellent, thank you, maps. It makes me so sad to think of George Balanchine’s death and how it affected America’s and, of course, New York City’s ballet community.  I love Baryshnikov’s tribute. 

[KarenAG]

I just bought tickets in the rear mezz (row L, I think) for Nov 4 matinee for my husband, myself and his Aunt, who lives in Manhattan. It should be wonderful and I’m especially excited about seeing Symphonie Concertante and POB dancing Midsummer Night Dream Pas de deux. The whole program looks great! 

[maps]

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Edited July 13, 2019 by maps
delete

[howpureisivory]

2 hours ago, maps said:

Mariinsky Apollo is Parish. https://www.instagram.com/p/BlfUoGyh_qP/?taken-by=_xander

Balanchine The City Center Years is the first program direct marketed outside the NYC metropolitan area.

[KC notes: SF open rehearsal cancelled. BAA still TBA-tickets sold to subscribers for months.  That's a wider spread than 1 TBA Pdd on ABT.   I wish the Kennedy Center  SF [all Unbound] included  Scotch Symphony and Div 15,  ABT was  2:5 including Symphonie Concertante [all Harlequinade], and there was a Mr B at CC type program.]

 

 

 

Do you think he'll be performing here with the three Vaganova grads? I'd go to that.

[Emma]

Macaulay criticizes and coaches Parish in the comment section of that post.  Wanted to flag the conversation, not really sure what to make of it.

2 hours ago, maps said:

Mariinsky Apollo is Parish. https://www.instagram.com/p/BlfUoGyh_qP/?taken-by=_xander

 

[howpureisivory]

11 minutes ago, Emma said:

Macaulay criticizes and coaches Parish in the comment section of that post.  Wanted to flag the conversation, not really sure what to make of it.

 

I read that too but it sounds like Parish took it in stride and used it as room to grow. There's another picture of that pose out there during the performance and it actually looks as Macaulay suggests. (https://www.instagram.com/p/Blh31--A2na/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)

Edited August 1, 2018 by howpureisivory

[nanushka]

25 minutes ago, Emma said:

Macaulay criticizes and coaches Parish in the comment section of that post.  Wanted to flag the conversation, not really sure what to make of it.

 

I have to say I completely agree with his criticisms of Xander’s hand placement (is he stopping traffic? wholly lacking in poetry) and the muse’s hand on her knee. It sounds like he and Xander have a relationship and that the latter is genuinely grateful (not just being polite and brushing him off).

As often before, though, I’m struck by how AM views his role as a critic to be one of a directly intervening advice-giver to dancers — not at all the only (or predominating?) way of viewing the enterprise.

Edited August 1, 2018 by nanushka

[nysusan]

Too bad, Parish is my least favorite of the Mariinsky men. I'd much rather see Sergeev as Apollo. Now it all depends on who his Muses are...

[ABT Fan]

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

As often before, though, I’m struck by how AM views his role as a critic to be one of a directly intervening advice-giver to dancers — not at all the only (or predominating?) way of viewing the enterprise.

Yeah, I'm not crazy about it.

[Drew]

On 8/1/2018 at 5:39 PM, ABT Fan said:

Yeah, I'm not crazy about it.

This is pithy and expresses my view especially about a direct exchange with the dancers. But to be less pithy:

If Macaulay is going to review the Balanchine performances at City Center, then it initially, to me, feels like a conflict of interest for him also informally to give coaching tips to dancers appearing there. At the very least I would expect Macaulay's reviews to disclose the exchanges he has had with Parish as well as any others that may not be so publicly track-able. Coaching tips based on a single reheasal photo also seems like a whole other not unimportant issue even if the Sunburst is a posed moment.  I assume there could be a rehearsal photo of Anthony Dowell in a less than ideal arabesque because you know...it's a rehearsal...and a photo of something that isn't static. Parish published it--it's true; does that change things?

Even from a purely coaching angle it's odd: has he seen the video excerpts of the recent Parish performances of Apollo on youtube? will he contact Parish about those? That is, if he is putting himself in the position of giving a dancer advice from a distance then why wouldn't he draw on all the documentation there is? I'm not saying Macaulay should do that--I'm saying his giving advice to Parish, however informally, on the basis of one photo raises all kinds of questions for me. I guess I prefer--or am used to--a more traditional dividing up of roles in the ballet world...

Perhaps Macaulay thinks he has a bigger "duty"--a duty to the quality of dancing--that in his mind transcends conventions and rules about conflict of interest. But again, in that case, he could just have Parish send him a video of the performance....I infer something else is going on here. The fact that Parish "published" the photo may be taken as opening up some other avenue of contact and exchange with critics--that youtube doesn't for example unless its Parish's own channel. We have some professional critics on this site--another question would be: have critics done this sort of thing behind the scenes for years--so that it's not new? That would surprise me, but I'm not a professional critic.

And, also, as a general matter, what exactly is Parish or any other dancer supposed to do if (hypothetically) his coach were to tell him X and the NYTimes critic tell him Y--and he is about to be reviewed in the NYTimes? I assume a professional would listen to their coach; but should a critic put a dancer in that position...even unintentionally? Certainly, a dancer is hardly in a position to start arguing about the pose with a critic on Instagram...nor is that the place for it.

Obviously, social media is breaking down all kinds of barriers and changing all kinds of implicit and explicit rules. Maybe this is the new normal. But for me it's a head scratcher at best...

Edited August 4, 2018 by Drew
Typo

[Quiggin]

Well put, Drew. It's an absolute conflict of interest. I thought of Clement Greenberg, the Nation art critic, who got in trouble for changing the colors on David Smith's sculptures – and other interventions. 

Also I'm of the opinion that Apollo is simply about the steps and 1920's acrobatics, not about the sets of myths that has encrusted the ballet over the years. "Twelve gods, eternity, transcendence" is for a Sunday school lesson, not for a witty ballet.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Quiggin