Melody

There seems to be a disconnect somewhere in the system between the vocational schools and the companies, especially the ones where there's a school attached to a company. If the schools are concentrating on slow, steady development and later-maturing dancers, but the companies are out there recruiting all the international whiz-kids, then maybe the people running the schools and the people running the companies need to sit down and talk to each other about supply and demand. British taxpayers are subsidising these schools, and it's a waste of money and an insult to the local kids if the schools are basically just training them for corps positions while the companies go and hire their future principals in Asia and South America.

I've been looking at the Gravatar site, and honestly I have to say that my brain went into shut-down just reading the first paragraph of what it takes to get a Gravatar. Plus once you have one, it's the same on every site where you use a particular email address, if I'm understanding correctly, which is a bit inconvenient unless you get custom email addresses for sites with related themes. I was just wondering why this forum is so restricted in how we can get a profile picture. I belong to a couple of other IPB forums, and up until a few months ago I used to own one. They all allow avatars to be uploaded either directly from the computer or via a URL from a photo-hosting site, without having to faff around with the complications of Gravatar. Is there a reason the settings at this forum are restricted to Gravatar photos?

I'm having problems getting some of the features to work in IE11, but Chrome seems to be fine.

Having read some of these threads and noticed the timing of the assessments with respect to the auditions, I must say I'm wondering the same as Billyelliot when she said "I have wondered if having seen someone special at audition time, a way might be found to bring them in as a result of assessing out" I can see where it might be necessary to give up on a youngster who develops an hour-glass figure at 14 or sustains a chronic injury. But assessing out one-third of a class after the apparently rigorous audition process and the expert teaching and physio at these schools, sounds very suspicious.

Well, that Tetractys photo reminded me of the thread a few months ago discussing the Luke Jennings article where he complained about the way male choreographers require female dancers to be manipulated in ways that emphasise their genitals, and he particularly mentioned McGregor as a prime example. Looks as though nothing's changed in the meantime, unless that photo was unrepresentative.

Hope this is the right forum, please move if not. Van Cleef and Arpels have a jewellery collection based on Russian ballets that's really spectacular; it's part of the Ballet Precieux collection. I saw it on their Facebook page today so I think it may be a new collection, although the Ballet Precieux collection seems to have been going for a while. http://www.vancleefarpels.com/us/en/article/10782/ballet-precieux-russian-ballets There's another collection based on the three acts of Balanchine's Jewels. http://www.vancleefarpels.com/ww/en/article/386/ballet-precieux-collection Doing a Google Image search on Ballet Precieux shows all sorts of other items that are apparently in this collection. Would be very nice to be able to afford one of the pieces!

Well, it's only half a ballet, but Act 2 of the Christmas Ballet by the Smuin Ballet Company in San Francisco was always pretty bonkers. Between the tap-dancing Christmas trees, the pink feather boa stretching diagonally across the stage as the dancer sashayed on, and the shark fin with Santa hat, it was always hilarious.

No, I think that's a more general Tetley programme that shows excerpts from several ballets. Let me find it and post it longhand. I remember finding the one you posted if I included "Glen" in the search - I found the other one with just Tetley Voluntaries VHS. Sometimes I really wonder about Google. Here it is: http://worldcat.org/title/voluntaries-videorecording/oclc/80124214 BTW, is there a reason I can't paste stuff? Do you have to have a certain number of posts or something?

I'm so glad she's planning to stay in the world of ballet in some capacity after she retires from dancing, whether as a teacher or an administrator remains to be seen. It's always sad when some of the great dancers retire and just walk away, since ballet is so dependent on knowledge being passed from generation to generation. I must say I did wonder, when news of Vadim Muntagirov's move to RB broke last week, whether this announcement would be far behind.

Well, seriously, is anything universally admired? I thought Voluntaries was wonderful - saw it several times at ROH in the 1970s in a triple bill with Month in the Country and something else I've forgotten. I don't normally particularly like abstract ballets with minimal costume and scenery but I was always ready to make an exception for that one. I've done a bit of searching and come up with a link (which apparently I can't post because this forum won't let me paste stuff I've copied) to a VHS in the Worldcat database (just google on Tetley Voluntaries VHS). There's a recording by the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1991; the information is as follows: Videotaped in performance at Seattle Center Opera House, Seattle, Washington, March 23, 1991. Choreography: Glen Tetley, assisted by Scott Douglas. Music, Francis Poulenc (Concerto for organ, strings, and timpani); Scenery/costumes: Rouben Ter-Arutunian; Lighting: Randall G. Chiarelli. Performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet: Patricia Barker and Thordal Christensen, with Colleen Neary, Stirling Kekoa, and Benkjamin Houk, and others. OCLC number (whatever the heck that is): 80124214. 31 min, NTSC. Might be worth contacting Pacific Northwest Ballet to see if they have a spare copy or know where one might be found. It's possible (at least it was possible a few years ago) to convert from NTSC to PAL and to put stuff from a videocassette onto DVD. The quality won't be great but it'll probably be better than YouTube.

Thank you, Janet! Been lurking for a while - very impressed with the depth of knowledge here.

I vaguely remember a VHS version from decades ago; no idea if it's available anywhere.