Yes, yes, I understand all that. And the corporate world is no democracy either. My question pertains to management of people. The question again is simply does this typically demoralize the company?<P>Back to the Olympics, indeed, DavidH! Are there any participants left for the closing ceremony, with countries threatening to pull out...<p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited February 23, 2002).]

GEE-this is a good rumble;maybe this should be in the ISSUES forum(LOLOL)! Since Azlan the originator is ALIVE AND WELL--its his absolute right to be in control-ditch it entirely-NO-just not do it with SFB if they are going to be gritting their teeth through this whole thing.He has the right to pick the co. AND the dancers whether stage or TV.<p>[This message has been edited by angela (edited February 23, 2002).]

Unfortunately, Angela, the originator is not usually in control. <P>And what did I originate, btw, so that I can stake my claim?

(Azlan) BOO,hiss ,boo(smiley face)!

And to clarify again, the dancers are not gritting their teeth, etc. They're not complaining as far as I know. To repeat myself again: they will be on stage next week and they will likely give it their all.<P>I'm the one raising the question for my own edification.

DESMOND-where are you???Get on this list!

Desmond is busy. He is after all preparing for a role of a lifetime. A slight change: Desmond will be dancing next Wed and Thu evenings for sure. The casting through Thu evening is up at:<P> <A HREF="http://www.sfballet.org/performances/casting/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sfballet.org/performances/casting/</A> <P><BR>And I dug this old article up for SFB fans who are curious about this guest dancer:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>From poplocking to pirouettes <P>At 32, he tops the ballet world. Now Hollywood calls. But Desmond Richardson still benefits from lessons he learned as a young street-corner breakdancer.<P>By Touré, USA Weekend<P>Mixing ballet and breakdance is like mixing apples and spaceships. One seems as old as the Garden of Eden and comes from the royal courts of 14th-century France and Italy. The other, born in the streets of 1970s New York, is slightly younger than interplanetary travel.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><a href=http://www.usaweekend.com/01_issues/010624/010624desmond.html target=_blank>More</a><p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited February 23, 2002).]

Just to clarify.<P>The company is not gritting it's teeth. They have all been very cooperative. The choices were simply not made in the nicest of ways (but when is ballet ever NICE). And I think it was Lubovitch's choice to have SFB do this, not ABT, where Richardson would also have to be a guest artist, because they don't have any black principals to do the role either. Which was why he brought in to do it in the first place when the project was being created. And the role was created on Richardson and Possokhov according to my sources (because it was a joint production). Richardson was just lucky enough to debut it first. 'Course, that's heresay. And I can't imagine ABT getting it together enough to provide the support for a taping. They are such an administrative mess.<P>I understand all the reasons for all this happening and if I were Lubovich, I probably would have done the same (the choreographer in me talking). But if I were a SFB prinicpal, I would also still be miffed that some guest artist is starring in a taping with the company that I am actually a part of, regardless of his worth in the role (the dancer in me talking). And as for morale, the damage is done, and the company will heal, because that's what they do, and they have a good director who was tied by circumstances in this instance.<P>I'm not going to touch on Richardson's ballet technique, though I will agree he has dynamic stage presence.

One the first remarks I heard walking into the Opera House last night was, "It sounds really quiet in here." It and similar comments were repeated several times during the evening: "There's no buzz;" "Where's the energy?"<P>It dawned on my companion and I that the die-hard ballet crowd had decided to stay home on the premiere of this season's performances of "Othello." This was a crowd who came for Othello the story, not so much for ballet. So it's hard to tell if the somewhat muted applause was due to "Othello" the ballet lacking excitement or the crowd just simply being an unenthusiastic one.<P>For those die-hard ballet fans who were in attendance though, they were treated to a fine -- really fine -- character performance by Damian Smith as Iago. This "Othello" was definitely about Iago, more so than usual because Cyril Pierre's Othello and Lucia Lacarra's Desdemona were fairly one-dimensional from beginning to end. Too bad Smith won't be in the taping.

Hmm. Who will play Iago in the taping Azlan? I think I missed out on this detail somewhere along the line. So are you saying there was a different crowd Azlan...not the usual faces, so to speak?

Othello wasn't particulary successful the first time around, as a work I mean. Many of the individual performances are wonderful. Also, with all of this squabble flying around about it, maybe the regulars are waiting to see Richardson in the role. And Pierre just doesn't have a public devoted enough to warrant a "buzz!" <P>:-) <P>D

I believe Parrish Maynard will be portraying Iago in the tapings.

It's not about controversy, but it's a question why Vilanoba and Possokhov that I saw in France are not dancing Othello's role, they were so brilliant, are they injuried ? And why Julia Adam doesn't dance Emilia, is also because she was choregraphying Angelo.<P>I saw Katita Waldo as Desdemona beside of Pierre-François Vilanoba and she was absolutely brilliant, she was exactly Desdemona, perhaps Lacarra and Tan are more technical, but Katita was exaclty what I waited from Desdemona.<P>I particularly enjoyed this Lubovich' work and was glad if it could entry at POB repertory.

Pierre-Francois has just recovered from an injury and would not have been fit to perform the role. I've heard rumors that Yuri has been having back problems, so he probably couldn't have performed, even if he wanted to. Also, Julia Adam is just about 9 months pregnant! How could she have performed? That would have made a very intereting Emilia. <P>I saw Yuan Yuan Tan perform Desdemona and thought she was radiant. She truly possessed the virginal qualities that it seems Lucia Lacarra was missing (See Examiner review, 2/28/02). Also, Desmond was an excellent Othello. I could see his transformation from a man in love to the murderer he becomes. <BR>

Review from Allan Ulrich at the SF Chron. Ouch. I heard from a friend who went last night that it was quite good in her humble opinion....<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><B>Lubovitch's 'Othello' a tragedy in more ways than one</B><BR>by Allan Ulrich, SFChronicle Dance Critic Thursday, February 28, 2002 <P>Lar Lubovitch's "Othello" is back at the San Francisco Ballet, looking a lot the worse for wear. <P>Musical satisfactions were few, dance values were impoverished and the performance was oddly skewed Tuesday evening at the War Memorial Opera House, where modernist Lubovitch's first attempt at a full-length narrative offered plenty of huffing and puffing, gesticulating arms and dramatic extensions, but very little evidence that the tragedy (based on Cinthio's original story, rather than Shakespeare's version) had been coherently translated into choreography....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/02/28/DD123364.DTL" TARGET=_blank><B>More...</B></A><p>[This message has been edited by mehunt (edited February 28, 2002).]