San Francisco Ballet has begun recording their “Meet the Artist” interviews (taking advantage of modern technology! yay!) and posting them as audio podcasts on their website.
The most recent audio podcast is an interview with Jean-Pierre Frohlich. A former NYCB dancer, he’s currently a resident Ballet Master with NYCB, responsible for setting a large percentage of the Jerome Robbins ballets in the company’s repertoire, and travels the world through the Jerome Robbins Trust and Foundation setting Robbins’ ballets on other dance companies. (He’s always been one of my favorite ballet masters at NYCB. He’s helped me so much throughout my career, in coaching, encouragement, and in giving me new opportunities, so it was fun to see him as one of their subjects for the podcast.)
Apparently he was recently at San Francisco Ballet to stage Fancy Free, and talks a lot about this ballet, as well as a few other Robbins works. Definitely take a few minutes to check it out.
Also, in the podcast previous to this one, is a discussion about the creation of Wayne MacGregor’s Eden/Eden, which Megan talked about it her last post.
philip
Really interesting interview, especially when he talks about ‘foreign vs. American dancers’ and discusses FANCY FREE as a period piece. Also the details of how companies get permission to perform the Robbins ballets and the aspects of getting the right ballet connected to the right company…
I was lucky to have seen Jean-Pierre dance many times; he was light as a feather and so charming. Is he married to Isabel Guerin? She is a lovely ballerina who used to dance as a guest with NYCB in the late 1990s.
City Ballet and the world of dance in general is fortunate to have J-P’s dedication and his ‘original source’ status as a Robbins disciple. Thanks for the link, Kristin!
Mar 20, 2007 @ 18:29
megan
I really enjoy SFB’s podcasts… Thanks for mentioning the link! The one with the Wayne MacGregor interview is sitting on my ipod, waiting for me to tear myself away from The Proclaimers (admission of guilty pleasure right there!).
Mar 21, 2007 @ 00:40
SanderO
I have heard the word -on- used when referring to a choreagraphy creating a ballet for a dancer. And now Kristen used it referring to Frohlich setting Jerome Robbins ballets on other dance companies.
Why is the word -on- used and not -for- or -with- ? Can some explain this?
Mar 21, 2007 @ 01:23
tonya
Now I’m dying to see Eden Eden. He’s so cute — Ballroom … Semiotics … Jose Limon — I LOVE him
Seriously, is it gonna come here does anyone know?
Mar 21, 2007 @ 01:32
tonya
I just looked back at Evan’s posts — I thought I remembered him posting on Eden, and I was right
That’s the one with the swim-cap-looking things… How come all the fun stuff is happening in German and San Fran — I thought WE were supposed to be the center of the universe??? Just kidding…
Evan, where ARE you? Where are the rest of the pics of you and David?
Mar 21, 2007 @ 02:31
philip
I am not sure how the expression ‘on’ came into being, but it gets used both for ballets (’Jorma Elo created this piece on the NYC Ballet’) and dancers (’Chris Wheeldon created AFTER THE RAIN on Wendy Whelan’). To me it has a connotation of ‘draping” in the theatrical sense that costumes are created ‘on’ the actors. But that’s just my take on it.
Mar 21, 2007 @ 12:14