A Ballet for Election Day

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I can think of no better ballet for US election day than George Balanchine's Stars and Stripes. 

Created for New York City Ballet this work was first performed in New York City on 17 Jan 1958.  The ballet consists of 5 campaigns to the following music by Philip Sousa:

• First Campaign, 1st Regiment ('Corcoran Cadets')
• Second Campaign, 2nd Regiment ('Rifle Regiment')
• Third Campaign, 3rd Regiment ('Thunder and Gladiator')
• Fourth Campaign ('Liberty Bell' and 'El Capitan')
• Fifth Campaign, All Regiments ('Stars and Stripes')
  Variation I
  Variation II
  Coda: Allegro molto
  Finale: The Stars and Stripes Forever.

Balanchine also made a similar ballet for us called Union Jack.

"Quite simply the most exciting dancer I have seen for quite a while"

Michaela DePrince in Tarantella Pas de Deux

Photo Altin Kaftira
(c) 2016 Dutch National Ballet: all rights reserved
Licensed by kind permission of the company

Dutch National Ballet, Tarantella Pas de Deux, Stopera, 7 Sept 2016

When I first saw Michaela DePrince on stage at the Stadsshouwburg in Amsterdam I wrote:

"I had seen something of DePrince's virtuosity in her YouTube videos but she is even more impressive in real life. She is quite simply the most exciting dancer I have seen for quite a while"

(see The Junior Company of the Dutch National Ballet - Stadsshouwburg Amsterdam 24 Nov 2013 25 Nov 2915). I have, of course, seen DePrince dance several times since then and indeed I have seen her in class (see Double Dutch Delights 17 Feb 2016) and even met her briefly on one occasion (see The best evening I have ever spent at the ballet 13 Sept 2015) but I experienced the same excitement when I saw her in Balanchine's Tarantella Pas de Deux with Remi Wörtmeyer.

Remi Wortmeyer

Photo Altin Kaftira
(c) 2016 Dutch National Ballet: all rights reserved
Licensed by kind permission of the company

First performed by Patricia McBride and Edward Villella of New York City Ballet in 1964 to the music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk, it is one of the most thrilling dances I know. It demands great virtuosity from both dancers. Dazzling footwork particularly from the woman and athletic jumps from the man.

This work was the last offering of the evening before Balanchine's Theme and Variations which wound up the show. It warmed the audience up  beautifully for the finale.

Ballets beginning with "N" and a Bright Patriotic Romp for a Monday Morning

Bronislava Nijinska

Last night my dear ballet teacher texted me for the names of ballets beginning with "N". Why she asked me Lord knows because I am the most useless ballet student who ever shuffled up to a barre as she will be reminded when I turn up to her class in Sheffield tonight. However, she did and I came up The Nutcracker, Napoli, Noctambules, Les Noces (hence the photo of Bronislava Nijinska) and London Children's Ballet's Nanny McPhee but then I ran out of ideas.

Not even my friend Mel who has forgotten more about ballet than I will ever learn could add to the list. No doubt one of those bright sparks in London who put me in my place for daring to praise Christopher Marney and Kenneth Tundall could help but, as I say, they are in London.  So if anyone can think of any other ballet beginning with "n" please tweet me or send me an email and I will pass it on to Fiona.

I had a look at the George Balanchine Foundation website because he was so prolific and if anyone had choreographed a ballet beginning with "n" it would have been him. I didn't find any but I did find "Who Cares" danced by the glorious Dutch National Ballet of whom I am now a Friend.

I also found this lovely patriotic romp Union Jack which was one of Balanchine's last works. It did not get a particularly good press from the critics at the time but as you can see from the applause the crowd in the auditorium loved it. When the flags came down at the end of the ballet a patriotic lump stuck in my throat.

And talking about lumps in the throat the magnificent Janet McNulty reported one when thanked by Kenneth Tindall for supporting his Kickstarter campaign to raise £3,000 to film The Architect:

"@Tindallkenny @nipclaw Gosh Kenny, I've got a lump in my throat now! Just hope we can help in some small way, it's a privilege to do so
— Janet McNulty (@JanMcN) June 7, 2014"

 They are nearly half way there with 18 backers and £1,441 in the pot including £10 each from me and Mel. So ONE MORE HEAVE like Balanchine's Jolly Jack Tars in Union Jack.

Olga Preobrajenska

Olga Preobrajenska was appointed prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1900. She spent 25 years with that company where she created many roles. Important though she was as a dancer she was even more influential as a teacher first in St Petersburg and later at the Salle Wacker near the Place de Clichy in Paris.

I was lucky enough to step inside the Salle Wacker on my first trip to Paris in September 1969 less than 7 years after that great dancer and teacher had died.  My guide was one of her former students, Pamela Tipton (now Mrs. Carl Newton) who was then a graduate student at St. Andrews. Pamela, who is an American, had come to Europe when she was a little girl to study ballet.

I asked Pamela whether she could write something about Preobrajenska and this is what she sent me:

"Haven’t forgotten about your Olga P. request….don’t really know what to say except that she was a tiny and fierce little lady who believed in physical punishment and commanded the utmost respect from her students.  I was 9 years old and terrified of her.  I grew to love her and when she died, mother and I attended a benefit and somewhere I have one of her linens that we purchased.  There was a gentleman at the studio who acted as her manager…he appeared to be slavishly devoted to her.  As a child I did not know what their relationship was other than he also collected money for the dance lessons.  I remember the time that Maria Tallchief came to the studio.  She was beautiful.  Many famous dancers came to her for instruction." 

Tallchief was the first native American ballerina, the wife of George Ballanchine and one of his greatest dancers.  Preobrajenska's other students included Margot Fonteyn, Maurice Béjart and many other stars.

Nick Wallace-Smith has uploaded some clips of Preobrajenska to YouTube, one of the her walking through the streets of Paris and another of her teaching at the very time Pamela was her pupil.

Happy Easter everybody!