Ballet Fireworks - July 4th and Beyond
July 15, 1997

Dear Dancers,

How does a New York City balletomane celebrate the Fourth of July? By going to the ballet, of course! Dazzling displays of Terpsichorean pyrotechnics are my kind of fireworks, and ABT's all-American evening filled the bill perfectly. Agnes de Mille's "Rodeo" remains, for me anyway, as fresh and funny as ever, and the stirringly nuanced Copland score is as expansive as the plains and prairies of the Old West. I also saw two newer ballets, Clark Tippet's haunting "Some Assembly Required" and Eliot Feld's irreverently witty "Variations of a Theme of America."

But the highlight of the program was a revival of Jerome Robbins' "Fancy Free" to the music of Leonard Bernstein, with the boyishly boisterous Angel Corella as the high-flying sailor who starts the dance competition. Corella literally stopped the show with his virtuoso solo, and at the curtain call he got a standing ovation complete with the kind of screams usually reserved for rock stars. No, this isn't exactly the sort of audience behavior one expects in the hallowed halls of the Metropolitan Opera House, but I didn't mind at all. Corella's fans are young and legion, and they're not there because of a P.R. stunt like the Joffrey's overrated "Prince." They're there to see a magnificent dancer perform in ballets which have stood the test of time. So much for all the recent hand-wringing about Gen-Xers eschewing the arts!

On that note, let me rhapsodize about yet another indication that the future of dance looks bright. The 33rd annual School of American Ballet workshop performances, which took place at the Walter Reade Theatre on June 7 and 9, demonstrated that SAB continues to turn out top talent, and plenty of it. The young dancers were astonishing, both for their technical prowess and their precocious artistry. They were also impeccably rehearsed, and the credit there goes to Suki Schorer, Susan Pilarre and Garielle Whittle.

The workshop, always an exciting unveiling of the newest crop of star material, was especially thrilling for me this year because one of my students, Margaret (Peggy) Severin-Hansen was chosen to dance the demanding ballerina role of "Allouette," the bird, in George Balanchine's "Harlequinade" to the music of Drigo. Peggy started with me as a winsome pre-ballet student at the age of five and by the end of that year, I already knew she was destined for a career. She trained with me until she was 12 and then SAB accepted her directly into Division B1 with students several years her senior. She subsequently received a full scholarship. Her rendition of "Allouette" was crisp and cocky, although Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times wrote that Peggy danced "big but a little hard." Oh well! How many of us get a mention in that august publication, let alone at the age of fifteen? In any case, I was pleased and proud and I hope my little fledgling soars now to even greater heights.

What else? The heat is on, with temperatures topping 90 every day for the last several weeks. Since NYC studios have no air-conditioning, you'll be supple and stretchy after only a plié or two!

If you're at STEPS this summer, I hope you'll look me up. I'm teaching young people in Studio I Monday through Thursday from 9:30-11 and taking class after that -- unless I decide to skip out and savor some of the city's other delights!

Use the feedback form if you have any special questions you'd like me to answer or topics you'd like me to cover. I won't be able to answer everyone personally, but I would welcome your input. For now, as promised, I'm going to share with you some favorite eateries and fun places to shop as well as upcoming special events around town. Also have a look at my update on the Metrocard and my note about the magazine "Time Out:New York"

Success is doing what you love and loving what you do, so keep dancing!

Sondra

Update, May, 2000: After graduating from SAB in 1999, Peggy was invited to join the Carolina Ballet as an apprentice. She was promoted to corps the following season and has been dancing solo and principal roles. The Raleigh News & Observer featured an illustrated article about her on April 30, 2000. Click on "Archives" and type in "The Dancer's Life."