Gelsey Kirkland and Alexander Godunov

[Meliss]

Why didn't Gelsey Kirkland dance with Godunov?

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/01/archives/godunovs-appearance-in-washington-canceled-report-of-an-interview.html

From this article:

"Mr. Godunov was to have danced the “Don Quixote” pas de deux with Gelsey Kirkland of the American Ballet Theater in the Kennedy Center's annual salute to prominent Americans in the arts. The pas de deux was canceled , according to Hariot Stem, a press official of the center, because there had been too little rehearsal time for Miss Kirkland. “At that point, it was too late for Mr. Godunov to rehearse with anyone else,” Miss Stem said.

Miss Kirkland, reached at her home in New York, said that she had rehearsed two days with Mr. Godunov and that inadequate rehearsal time had not been the problem. “It's difficult to find only a few words to say what happened,” Miss Kirkland said. Declining to give her reasons for not dancing, she added that she had given them to Mr. Godunov. “I think a statement from me now might only make the situation more severe,” she said."

 

I don't think it was nice of her to disrupt Godunov's debut performance with ABT and not even bother to explain the reasons for this to the press. You'd think Godunov was doing something to her  which is impossible to speak about. Why would she do that?

[Helene]

Kirkland wrote in her book, Dancing on My Grave,

Quote

[At "an East Side party, a formal celebration of some kind] I recall moving down a reception line, shaking the hand of Henry Kissinger, the guest of honor that evening, without knowing exactly who he was.  Later, a nebulous character known by the name of "Dexter," who turned out to be a drug dealer and discreet mover in Washington [DC] social circles, asked if I had any interest in the the former Secretary of State, if I found him attractive.  My dumb expression must have said it all.  The fellow explained, "But Gelsey, Kissinger is to politics what Baryshnikov is to ballet." I saw no connection and had no interest.  I could only imagine the minds and corridors of power -- narrow, winding, and cold -- certainly no place for a ballerina.  That logic applied to my refusal to dance with the latest defector, Alexander Godunov, at a White House gala under the Carter Administration  I was accused of being unpatriotic as well as temperamental.

pp.210-11.

[Meliss]

1 hour ago, Helene said:

Kirkland wrote in her book, Dancing on My Grave,

pp.210-11.

Thank you very much, Helene. I read this book and I still did not understand her reasons. According to the newspaper,  the gala was to take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, not in the White House. Besides, why did she rehearse with Godunov for two days and not immediately refuse? He could have found a replacement for her if she hadn't made it to the last day. Why did she refuse to explain her position to the press? Why hadn't she thought of Godunov? She let him down and thought everything was fine!

Edited Tuesday at 04:45 PM by Meliss

[Helene]

Kirkland never thought that anything was fine until, perhaps, during the time of her second book where she worked with the Royal Ballet.  Assuming that she was logical won't give much insight.  To me, her own words describe an obsessive person whose emotions were running on overdrive at all times, at least during that time. 

[Meliss]

2 hours ago, Helene said:

Kirkland never thought that anything was fine until, perhaps, during the time of her second book where she worked with the Royal Ballet.  Assuming that she was logical won't give much insight.  To me, her own words describe an obsessive person whose emotions were running on overdrive at all times, at least during that time. 

I got the impression that she wasn't quite adequate, but that didn't make it any easier for Godunov.

Edited Tuesday at 07:11 PM by Meliss

[Drew]

46 minutes ago, Meliss said:

I got the impression that she wasn't quite adequate, but that didn't make it any easier for Godunov.

She was an extraordinary ballerina. Period. End of sentence. She did have tremendous emotional struggles, eventually health problems (anorexia), and later drug problems. And just as you mourn the lack of video of Godunov I mourn the lack of video of Kirkland at her healthiest and strongest. (There's a bit of her Act I solo in Giselle that is worth a look.) But she was a great ballerina indeed often even when she was not well. One of the 20th-century's greatest. My opinion only? Sure. But it's the opinion of many other people.

Among partners she was very comfortable with (post-Baryshnikov) were Richard Cragun and Anthony Dowell. I also think that one can read between the lines of what she says about Kissinger and may wonder if she isn't indeed being relatively discreet. I won't say more because I may be incorrect in my speculations.

I relate to passionate admiration and love for a particular dancer  (as Godunov inspires in you and others) because I feel the same way myself--about Gelsey Kirkland. Did she cancel on Godunov? Well, it's disappointing to read about since it might have been a striking partnership, but we can't know or understand everything that happened--that's the real answer to your question--and if we did magically know exactly what happened, then I'm not persuaded it would make one OR the other dancer look less than "adequate":  Both had a history of offstage issues. (Before anyone asks: I consider Godunov's alcoholism an offstage issue. It did eventually kill him.)

Edited Tuesday at 07:56 PM by Drew

[Fraildove]

Kirkland was astounding. Truly a once in a generation dancer and was comparable to any of the Russian ballerinas performing at that time. I think if she had spoken to the press on why she canceled it would have been unprofessional in the extreme. As a former professional dancer, sometimes partnerships don’t work out. Given the very few rehearsals it could have been a style difference, language barrier, different interpretation of the role etc and neither one of them wanting to concede. Also, the height difference along would have been striking. Kirkland was TINY. Not just height but her bone structure was truly bird like. I could not ever imagine the two of them partnering together, much as it was hard to imagine her with Peter Martins and Patrick Bissell. 

[Meliss]

33 minutes ago, Drew said:

She was an extraordinary ballerina. Period. End of sentence.

As for Godunov, he was not only an extraordinary dancer, but also a very decent person who did not let others down.

 

[Helene]

Admin warning:  negative value judgements about each other have been removed.  Discuss the topic.

[Drew]

14 minutes ago, Meliss said:

As for Godunov, he was not only an extraordinary dancer, but also a very decent person who did not let others down.

Dear Drew, I appreciate your passion for ballet in general and Gelsey Kirkland in particular. It's just super that you love her to such an extent that you are ready to accept even her ridiculous reasons for abandoning the partnership at the last minute. I'm afraid I love Godunov a little less. If he had done that to someone, I would have been disappointed.

I don't feel I have any way of judging especially performing artists who are under extraordinary pressures. That includes Godunov and Kirkland.  Kirkland was an extreme case, but also an extreme talent. So for me there is nothing to say about her reasons being ridiculous. Sometimes her actions made me sad...yes. In the case of Kirkland and Godunov both.

 

Edited Tuesday at 08:34 PM by Drew

[Meliss]

2 minutes ago, Fraildove said:

Kirkland was astounding. Truly a once in a generation dancer and was comparable to any of the Russian ballerinas performing at that time. I think if she had spoken to the press on why she canceled it would have been unprofessional in the extreme. As a former professional dancer, sometimes partnerships don’t work out. Given the very few rehearsals it could have been a style difference, language barrier, different interpretation of the role etc and neither one of them wanting to concede. Also, the height difference along would have been striking. Kirkland was TINY. Not just height but her bone structure was truly bird like. I could not ever imagine the two of them partnering together, much as it was hard to imagine her with Peter Martins and Patrick Bissell. 

Thank you. As for me, I think it was unprofessional to cancel it at the last moment. She knew this part and it was a classic ballet, where the changes can't be that drastic. As for the height difference, I don't think she only noticed it at the end of the second day of rehearsals. In addition, she explained her refusal by saying that for some reason she did not want to dance in the White House, while the performance was supposed to be at the Lincoln Center. All in all, it's a sad story.

[Helene]

From the quote in the opening post:

Quote

Mr. Godunov was to have danced the “Don Quixote” pas de deux with Gelsey Kirkland of the American Ballet Theater in the Kennedy Center's annual salute to prominent Americans in the arts.

The Kennedy Center is a theater in Washington, DC.  The performance was not taking place in Lincoln Center in NYC or at the White House itself.  It was part of a public performance.

[Meliss]

3 minutes ago, Drew said:

I don't feel I have any way of judging especially performing artists who are under extraordinary pressures. That includes Godunov and Kirkland.  Kirkland was an extreme case, but also an extreme talent. So for me there is nothing ridiculous. Sometimes sad...yes. In the case of Kirkland and Godunov both.

 

In 1978 she also refused to dance with Nureyev - but at least there was a reason: he tried to change Misha's choreography.

[Meliss]

4 minutes ago, Helene said:

From the quote in the opening post:

The Kennedy Center is a theater in Washington, DC.  The performance was not taking place in Lincoln Center in NYC or at the White House itself.  It was part of a public performance.

Yes, of course, at the Kennedy Center. And I still don't understand why she couldn't perform there.

[AG]

Further to the timing of the performance, it appears they were to have been a part of the Kennedy Center Honors being celebrated that weekend; it was also in the early days of Americans having been taken hostage at the embassy in Iran (per the link below, President Carter did not attend due to “this time of crisis”).  The December 1 NYT article referenced earlier also mentions deadlocked labor negotiations with ABT dancers had forced ABT to cancel its December season at Kennedy Center.  In other words, it’s quite likely the situation was more complicated, practically and/or emotionally, than simply inadequate rehearsal time or their size/height difference.

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/03/archives/kennedy-center-honors-five-for-life-achievements-in-arts-audience.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2U0.BoPq.1xKkIjJiq_wg&smid=url-share

[Fraildove]

It’s not for us to understand. We were not in the rehearsals nor do we have inside information as to what took place. And your statement that just because it’s a classical ballet and she knew it therefore she should have danced is way off base. Again, having been a dancer who has partnered with multiple partners, each person is different. This is why rose adagio with 4 cavaliers can be extremely stressful to the ballerina. Each partner has his own way of doing things. Kirkland had earned the right to refuse to dance with someone for whatever reason. Again, with such a drastic height difference, how you are being partnered even in supported pirouettes much less lifts can be drastically different than someone more suited to your height. Kirkland was very picky and was very picky about how she wanted to be presented on stage. This in her own words. If she felt that for whatever reason something wasn’t working, or there was not enough time to work through issues with a brand new partner she had every right to cancel and we as the public do not have to be told why. There are many, many partnerships that don’t work out. This doesn’t speak negatively about either dancer. It can even be chalked up to chemistry. Kirkland and Baryshnikov’s own partnership, which was one of the most incredible in history, was fiery and very close to disaster on multiple occasions. But magic happened on stage when they danced. I sadly never saw them perform as I was born much later, but when people in this profession still talk about their Kennedy Center Giselle as being the most incredible performance that they ever saw, it speaks volumes. 

[Meliss]

18 minutes ago, AG said:

Further to the timing of the performance, it appears they were to have been a part of the Kennedy Center Honors being celebrated that weekend; it was also in the early days of Americans having been taken hostage at the embassy in Iran (per the link below, President Carter did not attend due to “this time of crisis”).  The December 1 NYT article referenced earlier also mentions deadlocked labor negotiations with ABT dancers had forced ABT to cancel its December season at Kennedy Center.  In other words, it’s quite likely the situation was more complicated, practically and/or emotionally, than simply inadequate rehearsal time or their size/height difference.

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/03/archives/kennedy-center-honors-five-for-life-achievements-in-arts-audience.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2U0.BoPq.1xKkIjJiq_wg&smid=url-share

Do you think that complicated situation changed radically just before the performance?

[Meliss]

18 minutes ago, Fraildove said:

It’s not for us to understand. We were not in the rehearsals nor do we have inside information as to what took place. And your statement that just because it’s a classical ballet and she knew it therefore she should have danced is way off base. Again, having been a dancer who has partnered with multiple partners, each person is different. This is why rose adagio with 4 cavaliers can be extremely stressful to the ballerina. Each partner has his own way of doing things. Kirkland had earned the right to refuse to dance with someone for whatever reason. Again, with such a drastic height difference, how you are being partnered even in supported pirouettes much less lifts can be drastically different than someone more suited to your height. Kirkland was very picky and was very picky about how she wanted to be presented on stage. This in her own words. If she felt that for whatever reason something wasn’t working, or there was not enough time to work through issues with a brand new partner she had every right to cancel and we as the public do not have to be told why. There are many, many partnerships that don’t work out. This doesn’t speak negatively about either dancer. It can even be chalked up to chthe problem was not in the partner at all.emistry. Kirkland and Baryshnikov’s own partnership, which was one of the most incredible in history, was fiery and very close to disaster on multiple occasions. But magic happened on stage when they danced. I sadly never saw them perform as I was born much later, but when people in this profession still talk about their Kennedy Center Giselle as being the most incredible performance that they ever saw, it speaks volumes. 

According to this, the problem was not in the partner at all:

 

Kirkland wrote in her book, Dancing on My Grave,

  Quote

[At "an East Side party, a formal celebration of some kind] I recall moving down a reception line, shaking the hand of Henry Kissinger, the guest of honor that evening, without knowing exactly who he was.  Later, a nebulous character known by the name of "Dexter," who turned out to be a drug dealer and discreet mover in Washington [DC] social circles, asked if I had any interest in the the former Secretary of State, if I found him attractive.  My dumb expression must have said it all.  The fellow explained, "But Gelsey, Kissinger is to politics what Baryshnikov is to ballet." I saw no connection and had no interest.  I could only imagine the minds and corridors of power -- narrow, winding, and cold -- certainly no place for a ballerina.  That logic applied to my refusal to dance with the latest defector, Alexander Godunov, at a White House gala under the Carter Administration  I was accused of being unpatriotic as well as temperamental.

 

[Helene]

If you read the accounts of NYCB dancers who were on a Russian tour during the Bay of Pigs crisis, things changed radically about every five minutes. The hostage crisis was a particularly fraught time in the US, especially in Washington, DC, the epicenter, and Iran had nuclear weapons, so, it's possible.

To paraphrase Fraildove, not everything is for us to understand.  If Kirkland decides to explain now or in the future, if a letter or note or document turns up on the subject, if working copies of her manuscript are suddenly made public, if a witness, like an accompanist or rehearsal person decides to speak, we might know more, but for now, we only have what we have, and it doesn't matter how unhappy we are about it.

 

5 minutes ago, Meliss said:

According to this, the problem was not in the partner at all:

What she wrote is so cryptic, it's impossible to say definitively, and certainly if it wasn't one thing, or a combination of things.

 

[Drew]

19 minutes ago, Meliss said:

In 1978 she also refused to dance with Nureyev - but at least there was a reason: he tried to change Misha's choreography.

Kirkland's larger problems are well known, though what happened specifically with Godunov seems unclear as several have noted above. We don't know and we can't.

As for the disappointment you mentioned in an earlier post:  I likely suffered disappointment from Kirkland's cancellations far more than anyone who didn't love her dancing or didn't try to see her dance whenever they had the chance. I'm still not inclined to moralize or judge. I don't think she did things on whim. She was a perfectionist, as many great artists are, and she had demons which the ballet world she entered at SAB and NYCB and, later still, ABT was ill equipped to address. And her dancing!  Do I and other fans exaggerate? John Percival quoted Ninette de Valois calling Kirkland a "young Pavlova" the first time she guested with the Royal Ballet, and De Valois wasn't exactly known for gushing sentimentality. And Percival, who was one of the best and most knowledgeable critics of his generation, clearly though very highly of her which is one reason he shared the quote.  (He wrote for the London Times.)

Problems did catch up with her, but Kirkland also worked very hard  to lay many of her demons to rest and eventually did so successfully enough that she was able to become a teacher later in life. Her work on staging Sleeping Beauty at ABT was not a success by all accounts (I missed that production), but several dancers she coached for those performances testified in a New York Times feature to what she was able to draw out of them as artists. 

 

[Meliss]

1 hour ago, Drew said:

Kirkland's larger problems are well known, though what happened specifically with Godunov seems unclear as several have noted above. We don't know and we can't.

As for the disappointment you mentioned in an earlier post:  I likely suffered disappointment from Kirkland's cancellations far more than anyone who didn't love her dancing or didn't try to see her dance whenever they had the chance. I'm still not inclined to moralize or judge. I don't think she did things on whim. She was a perfectionist, as many great artists are, and she had demons which the ballet world she entered at SAB and NYCB and, later still, ABT was ill equipped to address. And her dancing!  Do I and other fans exaggerate? John Percival quoted Ninette de Valois calling Kirkland a "young Pavlova" the first time she guested with the Royal Ballet, and De Valois wasn't exactly known for gushing sentimentality. And Percival, who was one of the best and most knowledgeable critics of his generation, clearly though very highly of her which is one reason he shared the quote.  (He wrote for the London Times.)

Problems did catch up with her, but Kirkland also worked very hard  to lay many of her demons to rest and eventually did so successfully enough that she was able to become a teacher later in life. Her work on staging Sleeping Beauty at ABT was not a success by all accounts (I missed that production), but several dancers she coached for those performances testified in a New York Times feature to what she was able to draw out of them as artists. 

 

It is a pity that Godunov and Kirkland never danced together, although he danced with her sister.

Edited Tuesday at 11:23 PM by Meliss

[Drew]

18 minutes ago, Meliss said:

It is a pity that Godunov and Kirkland never danced together, although he danced with her sister.

Yes. And I had no idea he danced with Johnna Kirkland!

[Meliss]

8 hours ago, Drew said:

Yes. And I had no idea he danced with Johnna Kirkland!

He did. It was at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in October 1981. 

[Meliss]

On 6/26/2024 at 2:40 AM, Drew said:

Yes. And I had no idea he danced with Johnna Kirkland!

I've got a wonderful picture of them recently,  https://vk.com/public221123399?z=photo-221123399_457243733%2Falbum-221123399_00%2Frev