Anjuli_Bai

As I recall from reading...... There was a time when the male dancer on the Russian stage had to wear a jacket that came below the upper thighs to hide that which it was thought should be hidden. And wasn't it Nijinsky who was banned from the imperial Russian stage by a complaint from a member of the royal family because his jacket was cut too high? In the ensuing years, it was thought that such an attitude was prudery - and here we are with a call to return to those days. This is not a comment either for or against such an opinion - but a whimsical thought of the constancy of the inconstant.

On second thought, let's consider the classics.... In Swan Lake it seems to me that it is Odile who manipulates the out come of the story. Siegfried is weak and fairly easily manipulated.. Coppelia: Surely the wilfull Swanilda overshadows all the other characters. Sleeping Beauty: The Lilac Fairy drives that story. Giselle: A story of the ultimate strength of feminine will and love. Albrecht learns his lessons from Giselle. La Bayadere: The priest is evil, Solor is weak and the Rajah a despot. While the Bayadere is a victim, she is also the victor. Gamzetti is not at all weak - a brat - but not weak. La Sylphide: The only male role of significance is James - and he is totally dominated by a woman (sylph, though she be). Effie ends up wise and happy. Romeo and Juliet: It is Juliet who proposes marriage, defies her family, goes to the priest, finds a "solution" and is brave enough to take a chance with seeming to die - and then actually kills herself when she wakes to see Romeo has died. Cinderella: The father is a total non-entity - having no courage to defend his own daughter, stand up to his wicked wife and her two brats.

My thoughts exactly. Thank you!

Is this not the same thing - said a different way?

I've seen coconut milk wrapped in a nut.

Well, I not only feel old, I am old. I was born old. I will never buy anything that is stored in a bin with a scooper for the customer to ladle into a bag. It does have the convenience of allowing one to buy precisely the amount one needs - but after seeing young children play around with the contents - no thanks. Many stores are now using a system where the product (like nuts) are enclosed in a tube which ends in a funnel to which the customer can affix a bag. Thus one can buy the amount needed without the product being open to touch. That is an improvement. But then there was the woman who opened several plastic enclosed boxes of strawberries, picked out the best of each box for "her" box. She was instructing her grown son to do the same. I do like that the store (a large supermarket chain) offers to unload my shopping cart at the checkout line and then offers to wheel it out for me and put it into my car trunk/boot - no charge - no tipping allowed. They will also fetch anything I need which is handy for some of the larger and/or heavier items. I avoid the supermarket at certain times. On weekends when the university dorm denizens wake up (about 2 p.m. after a wild "night before") - the boys at the meat counter, the girls filling the cracker aisle, and none of them fully awake and all of them carrying on multiple phone-texting conversations. The girls seem unable to shop unless the entire sorority is present. The boys come in smaller groups - but they are physically larger. In that milieu, anyone over 40 takes life in hand in trying to go around or through these congealed groups of our future leaders - heaven help us. It's not that the students are rude - they just aren't fully awake.

New York City is part of the United States - it is not the United States. Actually, it is but a small part - one pane of glass in a large multi-colored painted window. Arlene Croce is but one voice in a pool of many - most of whom the average (if there is such a thing) dance ticket buyer doesn't care about. A country as large and diverse as the USA with ample numbers of people falling into an almost infinite number of categories (conservative, progressive, liberal, religious, old hippiies, new millenials, etc) is impossible to catagorize on almost any subject or thought pattern. The experiences of a dance company on tour are not the same as the experiences of a resident company. The audience tends to be different, the intent of programming is different. As for Ashton and MacMillan - I would bet a sufficient number of ticket buyers base their purchase decisions on the ballet being performed, the dancers casted, the reputation of the company and just plain old curiosity - as the reputation of the choreographer.

I agree with the advice above. It is also important to keep the nails trimmed - neither too short nor too long. The best time to do this is after a warm shower or bath when the nails are softer.

A banana massage - why didn't I think of that?

Bananas are good, too.

...unless, of course, it is a rattlesnake.

Wolfgang's heretofore unknown twin?

As I recall from Nureyev's autobiography - his father was very much against his dancing.

I saw one of his first performances with ABT. He was/is a beautiful dancer. I hope he will be well.

How does one tell if a snake is happy? It wags it's tail.

I've given up trying to figure out how "things" get into the house. For instance...... One time when I was the only one in the house all day - I was walking into and out of rooms straightening up and so forth....when walking down the hall I had been up and down all day, I see lying on the floor in the middle of the hall .....a ten inch twig from a tree, some leaves attached. Didn't match any of our garden trees. I hadn't been outside, so it couldn't have caught onto the hem of my skirt....I don't have a dog..... When my husband retired and was home all day he had a similar experience. After telling me about it, he was rather surprised to find I didn't think it strange at all. I told him that I long ago stopped trying to apply reason to these events.

Yes, we've watched the entire series. I hope I live long enough to see series 7!

We have been watching "Doc Martin" on DVD for the last several weeks and found it to be charming in so many ways. A welcome departure from the rancid language and violence that passes for entertainment these days. Clunes is a wonderful actor, able to show change of thought and mood - pique and pain - in the cast of his eyes. His blythe disregard for the norms of coventional conversation, reflects many times what one wishes one could say without all the blather in between. The views of small village life are flashbacks to images one might imagine one wishes for while sitting in a snarl of traffic in a big city. I went to Google Earth and took a "walk" about Port isaac - a delightful walk it was. The very narrow roads, I presume originally made for horse and cart, I remember from my grandmother's neighborhood. The low doorways through which Martin always has to duck his tall body. The twisting walkways, the small beloved gardens, small shops and beautiful land and seascapes. And the "characters" - the officious - but benign - officer of the law, the flying giggling gaggle of girl teens - the small and large events in life. And the sweet little dog. The beautiful baby, James. Martin cooking in full suit and tie. I just love (most) of Morwenna's outfits - the lacy tops and colors - very much my style - especially the things she wears in her hair. One of my favorite scenes was on their honeymoon, whilst Louisa was rhapsodizing over the cottage, Martin was scraping doggie poo from his shoes with that "Doc Martin" look on his face. Another was Martin taking baby James to the "socialization" gathering of infants and moms/mums - he being the only father present. I hope the series continues - Louisa and Martin have to come back together...... This is probably all old hat to you - but we just discovered the series this summer.

There is another item or two which makes it more difficult for boys once they are in ballet class. They need to have a male teacher (which might help them want to take the class in the first place) for at least one of their classes. They need their own music - which for jumps is a bit slower because they generally jump higher and they need more time. The male body even at a young age is wired together differently - even as the mind is. It would also be helpful if there were enough boys to make their own group especially for the bigger movements in the center.

I agree with the coach.

It only seems more difficult in 4th because you are not as used to it. One needs to learn to start and finish pirouettes in from any position to any position. One also needs to learn to finish them both sharply and slowly - more sustained.

Having taught all my life in the USA - every dance school with which I've been associated or aware of has always allowed the boys to wear shorts or sweat pants (or some equivalent thereof) for the first few years. Once one gets beyond that or into a prestigous school such as SAB - a stricter code would be expected. Adult males taking a beginning or even intermediate class are given the choice. This is also true in many colllege dance classes. By the time a male student is truely into the study of dance, it simply becomes a non-issue.

I'm glad I asked. Here anyone who has earned a Ph.D or an MD is called "Dr." including those who receive an "honorary" doctorate degree. I think Margot Fonteyn received one - but I never heard her referred to as Dr. Fonteyn!

So - surgeons are "Mr."? How about if the surgeon is a woman - would she be a Ms? Miss? Mrs? Thank you for helping me to understand this. (a non-medically trained surgeon is a scary thought!) But at one time they were often the local barber!

Please excuse this completely off topic question....but.... Why in the UK is one doctor (Wolman)called given the title "Dr." while the other doctor given the title "Mr." (Nick Cullen) and then later referred to as a Dr. ("both Dr's".) - ? Is there a difference in education/expertise level and if so why is Cullen later referred to as a "Dr."? Thanks for your patience. (no pun intended - well, okay, just a little bit intended)