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Ballet Alert! Quiz #40
May 31, 1999
Fathers and Sons (a Quiz by Alexandra T. and Estelle S., who both came up with the same idea at the same time)Section One: Demicaractere dancers with Noble fathers
1. The father was the Dieu de la Danse in 18th century Paris, known for his arrogance and his dramatic ability, he created many roles in Noverre's ballets. The son was the embodiment of the post-Revolutionary new dancer, known for his pirouettes, his acting ability, and, later, as a great teacher.
Father - Gaetan Vestris
Son - Auguste Vestris2. French danseur noble who studied with Noverre and later danced in Sweden and Denmark. He was director of the Royal Danish Ballet for a time, though not a distinguished one. His demicaractere (classique) son studied in Paris with Vestris and brought Noverre's aesthetic and Vestris's elegance to Copenhagen, where he ruled for nearly 50 years as balletmaster.
Father - Antoine Bournonville
Son - August Bournonville3. Danish danseur noble who came to the New York City Ballet in the 1970s to partner Suzanne Farrell. His son is currently a principal dancer with NYCB.
Father - Peter Martins
Son - Nilas MartinsSection Two: Bolshoi Fathers and Sons
4. The father was a beautiful classical stylist and often partnered Plisetskaya (he's on video with her in Swan Lake). The son, who danced in New York and guested a bit in the early '90s, but stayed, for the most part, at home, is now director of the ballet company at the Bolshoi Theatre (and is one of the most musical men I have ever seen. A.T.)
Father - Nicolai Fadeyechev
Son - Alexei Fadeyechev5. The father was one of the most interesting dramatic dancers at the Bolshoi, dancing Crassus to Vasiliev's Spartacus. The son, a sweeter, plusher specimen, also danced in the West for awhile, but returned to Russia and now stages reconstructions of Fokine ballets.
Father - Maris Liepa
Son - Andris Liepa
Ballet Quiz #39
May 24, 1999
A Ballet-in-Opera Quiz1. This ballet is often said to be the true beginning of the Romantic Era in ballet history. It starred Marie Taglioni and was danced in an opera by Meyerbeer at the Paris Opera in 1831. Name the ballet and the opera.
Ballet of the Nuns; Robert le Diable
2. This ballet, in an opera by Borodin, exemplified the wild, savage exoticism of the Ballet Russe's first Paris season. Name the ballet and the opera.
Polovtsian Dances; Prince Igor
3. George Balanchine choreographed this opera by Gluck in 1936 for the Metropolitan Opera. The management was not pleased. Name the ballet, and tell what about it caused the "scandal."
Orpheus and Eurydice; The singers were kept out of sight in the pit - the action was performed onstage by dancers.
4. Sir Frederick Ashton choreographed the dances for an opera by Benjamin Britten in 1973. What was the name of the opera?
Death in Venice
5. In 1823, the Paris Opera had no great soprano, and a new opera was created with the leading female role was a mime role, not a vocal one. What was the opera, who was the composer, and who danced the leading role of Fenella at the first performance?
La Muette de Portici; Daniel Auber; Lise Noblet.
Ballet Alert! Quiz #38
May 16, 1999
Ballet Brothers, a Quiz by Estelle Souche1. These brothers both were dancers, ballet masters and choreographers at the Paris Opera in the late 18th century and early 19th century. The younger, whose career was especially long and who choreographed successful ballets such as Telemaque, Psyche or La dansomanie, also was a much respected teacher; one of his pupils was Carlo Blasis.
Maximilien and Pierre Gardel.
2- These brothers from Marseille had very successful careers.The older created leading roles in many romantic ballets in the 1840s and 1850s, and was a ballet master of the Paris Opera between 1860 and 1868. The younger was a principal dancer in Nantes, Bordeaux, Paris and then Saint-Petersburg, and was appointed first ballet master at the Imperial Theatre of Saint-Petersburg in 1862; he choreographed many famous ballets there.
Lucien and Marius Petipa.
3- These three brothers from Utah were awarded a Dance Magazine award in the 1970s. The oldest was a principal dancer with several companies and then lead the San Francisco Ballet School; the second was Balanchine's first American Apollo and became
the director and main choreographer of the San Francisco Ballet; the youngest choreographed the first American full-length versions of Coppelia and The Nutcracker and created Ballet West.Lew, Harold and Willam Christensen
4. These brothers belonged to a famous family of dancers from Italy. The older (and more famous) had a very successful dancing career at the Paris Opera and was known as "l'homme a la belle jambe" or "le dieu de la danse"; his son became a very famous dancer too. The younger danced with the Paris Opera, and also was a principal dancer in Stuttgart when Noverre worked there.
Gaetano and Angiolo Vestris
5. These Italian brothers were choreographers during the Romantic era. One was the father of a famous ballerina. His most famous ballet was created for his daughter at the Paris Opera, but he also worked in other cities in Europe (Berlin, Milan, St. Petersburg). The other founded a ballet school in Naples, creating ballets there, and in Milan.
Filippo and Salvatore Taglioni
Ballet Quiz #37
May 9, 1999
Swan Lake ProductionsDirections: For each description, please provide the name of the choreographer/producer and the company for which it was originally produced.
1. First production to introduce the Jester, or Fool, as a character.
Alexander Gorsky, Bolshoi Ballet.
2. In this production, the Swans appear to Siegfried in a dream/vision, and dance inside the palace.
Rudolf Nureyev, Paris Opera Ballet.
3. This production replaced Von Rothbart with an evil Queen.
Erik Bruhn, National Ballet of Canada
4. This production distilled the essence of the ballet into a single, nearly abstract, act.
George Balanchine, New York City Ballet
5. This production was the standard to which American companies aspired for years (producer/company). It included a classical waltz in the first act, and a classical pas de quatre for the third, as well as a demicaractere Tarantella (choreographer).
Frederick Ashton, Royal Ballet
Extra credit: NOT really extra credit, but an extra question with no right or wrong answers. What's the best production you've ever seen? Name your favorite production, if it is different.
Only two nominations: one, the Royal Ballet's production from the 1970s, the other the Blair for ABT. As one Quizzer said, "I hate all of them now!" Bitter, bitter.....
Ballet Alert! Quiz36
May 2, 1999
Sisters1. Both of these sisters were soloists with New York City Ballet. Both "big girls," the younger had the pleasure of succeeding the elder in her roles. Both are now stagers of Balanchine ballets.
Pat (the elder) and Colleen (the younger).
2. During the Romantic era, one of these sisters was a star among stars. The other, considered too tall to be a ballerina, spent her career supporting Sister Star, often dancing en travestie, and choreographing several ballets for her.
Fanny and Therese Elssler.
3. One of these sisters was the lyrical prima of the Bolshoi in the 60's, 70s and, yes, 80s, creating several roles in her husband's ballets. Her younger sister was a soloist with the Bolshoi.
Natalia and Tatyana Bessmertnova.
4. Another sister pair with New York City Ballet, one woman left to become a star at American Ballet Theatre for too brief a time, and wrote two books that tell of her troubled life. The other did not become a star, danced with other, minor companies for awhile after leaving NYCB, and has also supposedly led a troubled life.
Gelsey and Johnna Kirkland.
5. Possibly the most sensible of our sister acts, these two decided to make their careers not only in separate companies, but on separate continents. One became a very famous ballerina in America, first with the Ballet Russe of Monte Carlo, then with New York City Ballet. The other, after a brief stint with Ballet Theatre, left for Europe and the Original Ballet Russe, later the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas.
Maria and Marjorie Tallchief
Extra credit question:
Juliette and Sophie Price (Pamela Moberg)
Lorna and Lorena Feijoo (Next Stage and Estelle Souche)
Patricia Wilde and Nora White; Gertrude and Sonia Tyven (Anne Moses)
Natalie and Louise Fitzjames (Jane Simpson)
Aurelie (POB) and Benjamine (Marseille) Dupont (Estelle)
Anik and Sophie Bissonette (Victoria Leigh and Steve Keeley)
Deborah and Tamara Hadley (Francis Timlin; Honorary Mention!)We really had wanted stars, Big stars, but other name submitted included Mabel and Maribel Modrona (Miami); Kathleen and Margaret Tracey (NYCB); Leslie and Melinda Roy (NYCB)
Ballet Alert! Quiz #35
April 26, 1999
A Spring Flowers Quiz
by Estelle Souche1- Set to Chausson's "Poeme pour violon", this ballet, which deals with a farewell party before a marriage of convenience, was premiered in 1936 by the Ballet Rambert. Name the ballet and its choreographer.
Lilac Garden, Antony Tudor.
2- The first version of this ballet, whose plot is based on a fairy-tale of the Urals and which is set on a score by Prokofiev, was created in 1954 by the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, but it was not successful, unlike a 1957 version by the Kirov Ballet. Name the ballet and its two choreographers.
The Stone Flower, Leonid Lavrovsky (Bolshoi) and Yuri Grigorovich (Kirov)
3- This ballet of Bournonville, created in 1858 for the Royal Danish Ballet, is known now mostly thanks to a pas de deux from it. Which is its title?Flower Festival in Genzano
4- This ballet takes place in a port in Kuomintang China in the 1920s; its main character is the dancer Tao-Hoa,
exploited by the vicious capitalist Li-Shang-Fu. Its first
version was created in 1927 at the Bolshoi Theater, with choreography by Lashchilin and Tikhomirov, but several other versions were made later, e.g. by Zakharov for the Kirov Ballet and by Lavrovsky for the Bolshoi Ballet,
both in 1949. Name the ballet and its composer.The Red Poppy, Reinhold Gliere
5- This ballet by Roland Petit, set on the adagietto from Mahler's 5th symphony, and inspired by a text of W. Blake, was premiered in 1973 with Maya Plisetskaya in the main role.
La Rose malade
Extra credit question:
The orchestrated version of Ravel's "Valses Nobles et Sentimentales" were used by many choreographers, including George Balanchine in 1951 in his version of "La Valse". But the first ballet on that ballet score was made by Clustine in 1912, and had another, flower-related, title. Give this title.
Adelaide ou le Langage des fleurs