Marvin Hamlisch’s song from A Chorus Line came to mind as I read Sarah Kaufman’s very lengthy piece published in The Washington Post. I totally applaud the Post for devoting this much space to this article and to Sarah for writing it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050704620.html?wprss=rss_print/style

Sarah and I studied ballet together at Metropolitan Ballet in Bethesda Maryland years ago. One of our classmates went on to become a prima ballerina with ABT. I turned down my ballet scholarship to L’Ecole de danse classique in Monaco at the same time Amanda McKerrow, who I was fortunate enough to score the same as in a Royal Ballet Exam went off to New York. Amanda had the perfect dancer body-petite, lithe, gorgeous turn out and feet, beautiful face, disposition, talent and height. She was 5′3″ and I already at 14 was 5′9.” Although only a teen I was realistic about my future in dance. This is not a surprise in an industry where ones career usually (without injuries) ends around 35 at the latest.

Here is a clip of Amanda performing from You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwvRp-PccE

No dieting and practice would alter the fact that on pointe I was too tall!
This was pre MTV so the thought of becoming a choreographer hadn’t crossed my mind and I wanted to go to college anyway.

Reading Sarah’s article about the specter of George Balanchine and his hold on American dance I wondered if Sarah might have read Gelsey Kirkland’s autobiography, Dancing on my Grave. At the time of its publication I did not read it. Gelsey Kirkland was a dancer with ABT when it was based at the Kennedy Center. It was truly a golden age of ballet - Russian defectors played into the politics of Washington, the Cold War resulted in ballet and political intrigue as well as spectacular dance.
There was a cult of celebrity to the Russian dancers - Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova (a haunting Odette/Odille), and then Mikhail Baryshnikov arrived in Washington DC and we were transfixed. The Bolshoi, The Kirov, ABT, The Joffrey, and New York City Ballet seemed to be competing for dollars and prominence on the world stage from the Opera House of the Kennedy Center.

Gelsey Kirkland, a young American dancer, partnered with Mikhail Baryshnikov as Clara in his adaptation of The Nutcracker in 1977. I was there opening night and met them backstage after the performance. It was a thrilling evening. When her drugs and love affairs resulted in her leaving ABT I recall being very sad. I viewed it not as a fault of her character but of a system which used artists, making demands on them, and then tossing them aside. It seemed the physical toll on ones body coupled with the emotional challenges to ones ego would be hard for anyone but the most disciplined of personalities.
Her firing scared me enough that I had no desire to try drugs, alcohol or even cigarettes as a young dancer.

Ms. Kirkland’s book published in 1986 tells of her personal struggles with Balanchine when she was a young dancer. Her stories illuminate his arrogance and the spell under which many dancers including Baryshnikov were held and haunted by him. Kirkland’s brave rejection of him, her reasons, and her separation from NYCB to ABT is captivating reading.

In addition to the book being about her, the ballet, her romances, her personal challenges, it is very much a record of an exceptional moment in the ballet world and certainly in Washington DC.
I was at many of the performances which she refers to in the book. In 1986 her love affairs would have been “gross” to me since I had no reference for love and affairs of the heart, now almost 25 years later the book intrigued me and made me recall many names such as Peter Martins, Fernando Bujones, and Patrick Bissell, the dancer who introduced her to drugs, dancers I had not forgotten but whom I had only applauded from a distance.

I would welcome the opportunity to hear Ms. Kirkland speak. I hope that she reads Sarah’s article. I certainly hope anyone interested in that seminal moment in American ballet will read her book and watch the DVD of her performance with Baryshnikov in The Nutcracker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rQSuuHIm8I

The comments in response to the Post article are all worth reading.  Ballet critics don’t get as personal as political comments but the variety of these remarks are worth reading:

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Aaron Posner’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia at the Folger is a total hat trick!
The acting, staging, and material make it a play I will likely see a second time. Furthermore, I hope to attend both Gail Paster’s talk and the University of Maryland mathematics Professor’s explanation of the math in the play.

http://www.folger.edu/woSummary.cfm?woid=465

Much more to write on this later.

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With so many wonderful art museums and galleries in town it is easy to become lazy and forget that within a short drive north (2 hours as opposed to the google map estimate of 2hours and 45minutes) one can be in Philadelphia. Right now the Museum is hosting, Cezanne and Beyond which for anyone who loves 20th century art is a must see!

http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/312.html

The masters’ works are juxtaposed with those artists whose works he influenced: Picasso, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Max Beckman and others. The exhibit extends beyond the first major rooms across the hallway to another wing of the museum. As the audio ends at the first wing I noticed many people were not continuing on across the hallway.  This would be a silly oversight as there are more paintings and drawings in the exhibit.  Additionally, it provides one to see the gorgeous paintings in the permanent collection.

Plan on lunch at the Museums cafeteria which was reasonably priced and quite yummy.  There is also a lovely restaurant, takes reservations which I would suggest, which looked quite fine and pricey.  For instance my bluefish with two sides was $7.50, apple tart (made me almost feel like I was in Aix en Provence!) was $3.00  while the restaurant had a gorgeous provincial French inspired buffet which began at $27 of antipasti.  We didn’t have time nor funds for the luxurious lunch with wine as we were shortly zooming on 76 along the lovely Schuykill river to the Barnes!

Dr. Barnes  invented the drug Argyrol which was a topical opthalmic drug to prevent blindness. With his fortune he assembled an art collection valued today in excess of $6 billion dollars. There is also a gorgeous arboretum on the grounds. To see the exhibit and the collection back to back was an exceptional experience.

http://www.barnesfoundation.org/h_main.html)

The reason for that is simple:

Cezanne’s approach to painting - his brushstrokes, subject matter, interest in geometric forms, reinterpretation of classical subjects, and his prodigiousness are remarkable for their lasting impact and all that followed.  Many of his paintings survived the wars and he didn’t suffer from self criticism like Giacometti destroying what he created.  Fifty four paintings of St. Victoire survive which is remarkable.

The first exhibit’s curator allows one to come to this conclusion with the scope of art works assembled from around the globe.  Then the Barnes Collection places his works in a context of a brilliant collection which is certainly beyond what most Art 100 Professors could ever assemble in slides in a years course of Art History.  Furthermore, these are the actual works - Tintoretto, Rubens, Renoir, Glackens, Lawson, Matisse, African tribal art - masks and sculptures, religious sculptures of Madonna and Child, all sorts of pastels, watercolors, drawings,  Germanic Dutch religious paintings, metal works, furniture, textiles all together.  Just the Matisse installation which hangs in the main hallway would be worth a visit to the Barnes.

The Barnes has been in a protracted legal battle for years, only benefiting the lawyers, about its location. One should try to see this collection now as it was intended by this brilliant American.

If you like the Philadelphia Museum they will apply the ticket cost to a membership.  Also, there are private tours available at both the Barnes and the Philadelphia Museum which I would suggest.

The ride back on 95S was easy as I had time to contemplate the brilliant day.

Of course in all this talk of a bail outs it is a wonder that the Federal Government can not do more to preserve the Barnes!  It should be part of our great American legacy!  A brilliant medical scientist, supporter of civil rights, an environmentalist (I bought the honey just collected last week from the grounds)!
Cezanne and Beyond has been extended until May 31st 2009

Some images are on this video:

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/station/as_seen_on/Explore-Cezanne–Beyond-at-the-Philadelphia-Museum-of-Art.html

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Each year there are a number of events that seem to be of interest to people in DC and elsewhere.   Last weekends White House Correspondents Dinner and associated events is one of these annual rites of spring.  Although the original intent of the evening, to allow media and their sources to enjoy an evening with one another and the President, it has become a huge media, celebrity, political visibility moment.

I was invited as a guest to the dinner, the Bloomberg after party, and John McGlauglin’s brunch five years ago and ever since then one friend or another has invited me to some part of the weekend.

I was surprised by the bloggers such as Wonkette, whose reporting last week were so critical of the evening.   I suggest that these frustrated reporters and bloggers take a reprieve from this heavy lifting and go cover hard news in Afghanistan or the Democratic Republic of Congo, or even the Hill!!   Let me get this straight- you are being paid or making money to write fluff pieces which you don’t enjoy in a terrible economy?

Anyway, I for one always have a great time! I enjoy seeing some friends that I rarely see unless we cross paths at some event of thousands. This year I was particularly pleased to see so many looking so well - Ann Stock(the epitome of professional chic toujours), Anne Walker Marchand (stunning in her purple dress), Evan Ryan (beyond Katie Holmes pretty in her champagne/pink dress), Tony Blinken, Richard Strauss, Neshan Naltchyan, Tony Cappacio, Courtney Dolan (fantastic in her royal blue silk), Wendy Diamond, Adam Falkoff and others.

Then there were people I worked with in the past - Larry Summers, Rahm Emmanuel, David Axelrod, Don Baer, Jack Quinn who were noticeably absent until this past election.  This year the Republican presence was embodied by the oh my god he is incredibly handsome first man of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s husband Todd Palin.  Fox News’ Greta Van Susteran looked so uninteresting next to this manly man in her tux!  It made me think Governor Palin would be nuts to leave him alone in DC or Alaska!  Then there was young Republican blogger fashionista beauty political family powerhouse Meghan McCain who seemed to be having a total blast!  She was surrounded by young people at the Capital File party and looked to be having a fab time!

Then there were the people who I am just so impressed by who I was thrilled to be introduced to such as the Honorable David Walker, Secretary Chu, Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale.  Lally Weymouth and her daugher looked gorgeous at the Newsweek party and were so gracious to everyone, greeting everyone at the entrance which is so classy!  Jon Meacham was by LW side and was just as solicitous which I find remarkable for a pulitzer prize winner.  I was thrilled to meet him as I really enjoyed his opinions throughout the endless 2008 campaign cycle from hell.  Like my friend I was thrilled meeting Bridget Jone’s/Pride and Prejudice/Love Actually star Colin Firth but I was still dazed by meeting Jon Meacham.  It was a political celebrity media overload moment.  To me Dennis Leary is the Hulu ad campaign star alien so his presence seemed very funny!  Also, good guy to have if there was a fire!  And then the opportunity to talk dogs and nepotism with Owen Wilson and learn that his Australian Sheperd had a cameo in Marley&Me seemed to be a scoop without the pooper scooper.  I had to restrain myself from asking how they make him so small as the cowboy in Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian and if this latest release is about the ouster of Lawrence Small!!!

As a White House staffer it was de rigueur to snap photos with celebrities. As a result I have no photos of me with many people I met - Steven Speilberg, Tom Hanks, The US Stanley Cup team, Ralph Lauren, Bono, Mick Jagger, the Dalai Lama, President Nixon, President Carter, President Bush 1, and others. Your access is by virtue of your employer and it is poor form to behave in a manner not appropriate to the White House. Also, I grew up around celebrities and met the people years ago for whom I was star struck - Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Peter Sellers, Oscar De La Renta, Gene Kelley, Maestro Pavaratti, many sports figures including Larry Bird, Red Auerbach, Jack Nickolson, Tiger Woods, John Riggins, Vince Lombardi, Wilt Champerlin, and many others. In spite of this I love to see celebrities - how they look in person, how they dress, and now I can take pictures!

More than this it is the dance of the players I enjoy observing as some sort of modern day Margaret Mead. The media covering the media, the security who have the hard job of securing a venue and being polite!, the party decorations, the cross section of politics, celebrities, the public, the fans, the protesters, the motorcades, the fashions, the whole thing is fantastic. The best part is the weather in May is always better than during the Inaugural so it is way more fun!

Regarding the parties in the past the Hilton had a huge outdoor tent but last year the cold and rain made that a waste so this year there was no tent so people were smushed into corridors and tiny ro0ms. Also, this year the small cocktail rooms where decorated - Reuters created a fab chic white retro Austin Powers room with logos of change, Newsweek had Warhol - Farley like posters of important Dems, and the dinner was more crowded than usual. The little WHCA book is always the same with name changes to protect the now exiled from political favor or popular favor.

The Bloomberg after party used to be in private homes in Kalorama which were gutted to create a chic party environment with glasses made of ice and breakfast served at 2am with slippers. In these sobering times the party became the Vanity Fair/Bloomberg party (although VF controlled the list) and Bloomberg staffers partied at the Hilton late night. Then there was the swank Capital File party at the Corcoran which was amazing as several years ago that party was at Cafe Milano.

When I worked for President Clinton as a young staffer I was totally unaware of this event.  I was seeing exciting things each day at work - some tragic like the Black Hawk Down in Somalia, attacks on our embassies in Africa, and these events intended for the Media Affairs staff  and POTUS seemed uninteresting to me as inside the White House complex the daily world of people and events was extraordinary.

The first year I attended this I went to cocktails, dinner, and the Bloomberg after party.  I remember sitting with some very nice staffers who worked with Secretary Rice handling media.  These young people were doing incredible things in a post 9-11 White House era traveling to Iraq, Afghanistan and else where.  The next year I watched the dinner on C-Span so I would know what time to leave to go to the after party.  Funny thing - if you arrive at the after party after the dinner there is a line to get in.  If you don’t go to the dinner and just go to the after party early you can have a great time before it gets crowded with the other interesting people who are not at the dinner. The next year we did cocktails, ate dinner at the Russia House and then walked around the corner to the after party and then went to the after party after party at the Hilton.  Oh, to be young and energetic!

John McGlaughlin’s brunch went originally from his fantastic home to the roof top of the Hay Adams to now Teatro Goldoni! All have been truly fantastic as it is wonderful to see people in daylight hours in an environment where one can carry on an actual conversation!

I have some great memories of these events thanks to my fun friends and the freedom I have to act as a free agent.

And no one pays me to write this and I wouldn’t have missed it unless I had a better invite which seems highly unlikely!

As the President remarked in his opening salvo, “you all voted for me” I noticed the press ignored that in their reporting!  A more adoring media of a political campaign has never been seen so it was gracious of the President to acknowlege their support!

Please no nastiness please.  I am dismayed by some of the unpleasant comments which appear on Wonkette, Daily Beast, Huffington.  Wondering why people bother to read if they are so hostile?  Some of the racist, sexist, bigoted remarks are so offensive that they destroy the idea behind blogging to share information and ideas.

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So last night was the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. I have to write this one up on Monday after Mother’s Day brunch with mom. Happy Mother’s Day to all. In the interim if you didn’t see it on C-Span here is the link thanks to Huff Post. C-Span will run the dinner in its entirety if you are a poli sci DC addict.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/09/full-video-obamas-white-h_n_201264.html

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There were so many issues that President Obama gracefully articulately skirted during the campaign and now as President I am dismayed to find he is either ignoring or backtracking.  So why is the White House and the Dems on the Hill not helping our seniors?  What earmark did they get dropped in favor of or appropriations to some ridiculous federal effort which reinvents an already existing effort somewhere else in the system?

I do not understand how the White House/Hill can say no cost of living increase to adjust to inflation for social security while bailing out corrupt mismanaged financial institutions? There is no inflation? So are we to actually believe that seniors are not paying more in utilities? groceries? What is the AARP doing? I am dismayed and disappointed. Perhaps since the Obama’s no longer pay for their own groceries and utilities (the tax payers foot the bill) they have forgotten the suffering of our seniors?  Young people take note!  We are destroying your planet, bankrupting your futures  and abandoning our seniors!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/us/politics/03benefits.html

http://www.aarp.org/

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So today President Obama and VP Biden ventured out for a buddies lunch at Ray’s Hell Burger in VA. The little strip mall on Wilson Ave mobbed with the POTUS motorcade was hysterical thanks to NBC news online. I love the part where POTUS asks the WH Press corps to leave since they are bothering other diners. Okay, this totally makes up for Biden saying he won’t go out or fly and the FLOTUS Lanvin sneakers earlier in the week.

Frankly, I think FLOTUS can wear anything she wants and her sneakers should not be criticized at all. Honestly, these are professional people and they should be able to don French designer duds occasionally! I mean really FLOTUS looked amazing at the G20, is raising kids, a puppy, helping great groups like the Washington Area Women’s Foundation! And VP Biden was articulating what many of us were thinking but were afraid to admit.

I got over my N1H1 fear on Saturday morning when I came down with food poisoning and had to pull over on 110 just past the Pentagon to vomit. I was momentarily afraid that some CDC van would pull up (as I was close to the Pentagon on camera near a look out post) and throw me in and their I would be quarantined for days!

On the subject of torture, which I feared might come up while apprehended, I realized the other day when my friend suggested I try her SPANX to pull me in - fat chance! - that it could totally replace water boarding. I do not know how women get in and out of those SPANX items. As I am claustrophobic I became quite hysterical just putting this item on. Then I feared upon removal that it would go shooting across the room like some bad piano string and break my ceramics. I am now off to Ben’s Chili Bowl since it should be free from POTUS drop bys at least for today!

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Scene_at_Ray_s_Hell_Burger_Bay_Area.html

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Attended last nights Shakespeare Theater fundraiser to bring DC public schools to the theater which raised $250,000. Thanks to sponsors like Patton Boggs and Blow and others, as well as performers including Congressman and others, it was a great time!

The spoof, A Midsummers Night Session had a young page falling asleep during a filibuster only to be visited by Will Shakespeare in the Elysian Fields. There were some great lines and some clever adaptations of Shakespeare’s great works for the purpose of humor! I will certainly attend next year! It is not often that DC gets to laugh at the Hill for such a good reason and a fine cause!

The reception afterwards was catered by Ridgewells and it was lovely! The Capitals won across the street at the Verizon Center and all seemed right for a brief shining moment free of partisanship!

http://shakespearetheatre.org/

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Since I have been mentioning the 60s70s world of pop etc., this is a movie worth mentioning. I think it captures a sense of that time. I was not familiar with Uschi until watching this film. I think it is sad to watch this and realize how self-destructive the drugs and alcohol were for so many young people. I also think that the scene in the movie when she is traveling with her boyfriend and when she leaves their bus women begin to throw stones at her for not being covered is so sad knowing that more than 20 years later there are women who still embrace this concept - good women are covered bad women deserve to be stoned. I do not understand how in 2009 there are still women in parts of the world who can not have an education, are treated worse than dogs, and must wear a chadore or covering.

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On Friday night I attended the National Press Club dinner honoring Helen Thomas and inducting its silver and gold owl members into the Club. As they all bemoaned the dissolution of the world of journalism this new technology caught my eye.

Has the world changed so much that online reading and advertising is perceived as the last savior for this industry?

I do not think that online advertising is going to save the New York Times. I do think the structures of papers are going to change. Newspapers became corporate entities years ago for that reason as the family owned papers were dissolved and sold off to GE, Time Warner, and others. I mean the fact that the Sulzbergers are selling their interest in the Celtics shows just how far this business model has changed.

I look forward to the Kindle e-book but don’t see this as the savior for the papers but a new technology format for news, etc.

I think for some people the idea of being at work all day on a computer and then reading on a computer is too much.  So who will be the next Thomas Paine?

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