Ivy Lin
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Posts posted by Ivy Lin
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Delicate topic but the insistence on the blond wigs for Titania and Nutcracker is also very Euro-centric. For instance, would Francesca Hayward look good in a frosted blond wig? Marcelino Sambe?
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11 hours ago, fromthebalcony said:
Many varying opinions here. In the US, it is true that parents can pay large sums of money for training and that dancers in serious training give up many normal teen activities, which is probably the case for anyone pursuing an activity at an elite level. As far as “pay to play,” this does not happen in AGMA companies. Most larger companies have either a second company, apprentices, or both. They receive a salary, although in larger cities it is not always a livable wage. It varies with each company. It is also true that many companies do not have full year salaries. Dancers find other work and/or collect unemployment. However, dancers in large AGMA companies make a fairly good living especially as they go up the ranks. In smaller companies, apprentices and second company members may only be paid per performance. As far as sponsors and promotions, I don’t believe that sponsors necessarily guarantee promotion. I know of dancers who are sponsored and they have remained in lower ranks for years. And to touch on parents donating money, yes, this does happen, unfortunately. Finally, it was mentioned about dancers who are able to pay for private coaching. This is disconcerting ... one, because the company should be providing the coaching necessary for roles, and two, it gives an unfair advantage to those who are able to pay for the exorbitant coaching fees charged in large cities.
At American Ballet Theatre the "pay for private coaching" thing is openly talked about amongst the dancers. As is the parity between dancers who can pay for the expensive private coaching and the dancers who can't.
As I said, this sort of thing is very insidious because on the surface there's nothing shady happening, but in reality it means that a dancer from a poorer family might not be able to get proper coaching before her big debut.
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I was actually very disappointed in Nunez and Muntigarov in the Sleeping Beauty pas de deux. I didn't feel like they had the sharpness they usually have in this piece. Their fishdives were very slow.
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4 hours ago, alison said:
That would explain a lot.
I suppose it's too naive to hope that promotions would be based on, well, ability, talent and so on
The promotions that I know of where the parents were also donors had plenty of talent and deserved to be promoted. It's just that they also had parents who donated sums of money.
The other kind of "pay for play" is more insidious: many companies do not provide private coaching for a big role debut so dancers have to hire coaches to help them. The private coaching sessions cost a lot of money and not everyone can afford it.
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1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:
Is this in America Ivy?
Yeah it is.
As I said, it's not officially "pay to play." But parent's donations (as well as the ability to pull in a corporate or private sponsor) are considered important for promotions in American companies. It differs by company but it's a thing.
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5 hours ago, Jeannette said:
Curious - Are there theatrical unions in Japan, covering ballet and opera performers, such as AGMA in the US? If so, I wonder how pro companies are allowed to force corps women (not men) to sell tickets in order to work, if that’s still the case? I’d love to be corrected, if things have changed in the last 10 years.
The “pay to play” article at the top of this thread may be about the U.S. but it raises questions on compensation of dancers - particularly female corps - elsewhere.
Another thing is that I read Petipa's biography and they talk about dancers sending him large, expensive gifts for roles. Mathilde Kschessinskaya even called him out for this publicly. I don't know if this still exists formally but I know that in many companies parents' donations are considered super-important for promotion.
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8 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:
This article does sound as if it is from USA. e.g. health insurance worries, as in UK although you can choose private health insurance, everyone is covered by NHS. I find it shocking that even major companies such as New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre do not have full year contracts for dancers of any rank. They are laid off for several weeks over the summer and have to find work either teaching in Summer Intensives, or waiting tables etc.
Getting paid work here in UK as a classical dancer does seem to be diluted by graduate training schemes and short term contracts. Unfortunately what happens in USA tends to come over here eveuntually, but it think there will always be a "core" (pun unintended) of permanent dancers in each company.
NYCB does have year long contracts for dancers but not (I believe) for apprentices.
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I know at American Ballet Theatre the ability to get a big sponsor is considered paramount for promotion.
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Novikova is married to Leonid Sarafanov who decamped to the Mikhailovsky. She also decided to take time off for three kids. I think those factors might have slowed down her promotion.
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Omg this is wonderful news! Congratulations!!!
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I saw the whole stream. I loved most of it. The Tchai pas was wonderful -- fast and ebullient. I also really enjoyed DAAG -- Sambe as Brown Boy and Fumi Kaneko as Green Girl were standouts.
I like the fact that Royal Ballet doesn't do the abridged Apollo but includes the birth scene. With that being said I thought the ballet was danced a bit too precious. IMO it's not supposed to be that cute.
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Osipova does get injured easily. If you see a closeup of her feet, you understand why.
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PA Ballet's newest streaming offering is wonderful! I loved Mayara Piniero and Lecheng Liang in Allegro Brillante!
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There's a very vintage Apollo here with Jacque d'Amboise, Suzanne Farrell, Gloria Govrin, Patricia Neary, and Karin von Aroldigen:
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I enjoyed Cast B of Concerto Barocco better too. I liked both versions though.
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All the homage to Nureyev did was remind me of how much I hate his choreography.
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Theme and Variations from NYCB is an absolute must-watch.
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Loved the streamed Prodigal Son! I thought Tess was magnificent as Siren and Danny Ulbricht very good as the Prodigal Son. What a great ballet, and actually, so different from what we think of as "typical" Balanchine.
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They're adding a performance of Vienna Waltzes:
JUNE 3-17
As a finale to the 2021 digital season, NYCB will stream a complete performance of Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes. Created in 1977 and set to waltzes by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár, and Richard Strauss, this work of grand scale featuring more than 50 dancers is only performed by New York City Ballet.
Through Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s evolving scenery, Ronald Bates’ lighting, and Karinska’s costumes, the last that the famed designer created for the Company, the ballet transforms from a sylvan forest glen to a dance hall to a glittering society café to, at last, a majestic mirrored ballroom.
This performance, which will be available to stream for two weeks, was filmed in 2013 and features Rebecca Krohn, Tyler Angle, Megan Fairchild, Anthony Huxley, Erica Pereira, Sean Suozzi, Teresa Reichlen, Ask la Cour, Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle in the principal roles.
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Casting according to the press release:
Prodigal Son = Teresa Reichlen and Daniel Ulbricht
T&V = Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette
Stravinsky Violin = Sterling Hyltin, Ask La Cour, Sara Mearns, Taylor Stanley
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Great interview with her:
https://www.kazpravda.kz/articles/view/ya-vsegda-hotela-tantsevat
It's in Kazakh but google translate will make it English.Vaganovka, then an invitation to the Mariinsky Theater, where solo roles quickly appeared. When you became confident that everything is working out, everything will be fine?
- I have never had such a feeling and still do not. I was brought up that "I" is the last letter in the alphabet. You need less “I” ... I always wanted to be better than I am. I looked at others, studied. In our profession, it is disastrous to say, "I'm doing everything well." This is the end of development. A person must all the time comprehend something, to strive for something. As in sports - made a double jump, then someone tripled - and you want to learn too. You constantly need to move somewhere. If you stop, you will stop in development, and they will immediately overtake you, but the movement does not stop. I've never had it like that. On the contrary, she was very critical of herself.
Tell me, being an artist and a teacher, how to correlate the principle of “I” - the last letter in the alphabet ”and the formation of personality, so as not to disappoint, not to break very young girls and boys?
- I love our profession, because it is one of the most honest. You can sing to the soundtrack, in the cinema you can find a winning angle for the artist. We went on stage - and everyone can see what you can or cannot. And no fathers and mothers, uncles and aunts will help. Therefore, I always repeat: prove everything with deeds, speak less and do more.
The student must trust his teacher, go through all the steps. You cannot “learn to be a famous ballerina,” you cannot become great at once. You must first learn, deeply understand the profession. And if you are a good ballerina, and if you have personality, and if you are noticed, then you can become famous.
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Happy birthday to this gorgeous ballerina! If you follow her daughter on IG she has many photos of her mother. Here's a long interview with her:
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One more, from Chemnitz:
Wigs
in Performances seen & general discussions
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Yes but by having such Euro-centric wigs ism't the message that the only "right" dancers for these roles are white and of European heritage?