the situation for businesses and out of work new yorkers feels more hopeful today. news organizations, public radio hosts, congresspeople, state and federal representatives, are all talking about measures that can be taken to try and hold the economy together. korrina thinks her online application got through correctly to unemployment, though there was some glitch about being eligible next week and not this week . . she'll just have to see.
it's been a busy day of talking on the phone with friends and family. my nephew called and i found out that my sister and brother-in-law are only four hours from home (they've been in florida). i'm so glad.
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here's some more of the workers behind the scenes at the new york city ballet:
the drawing in the center is of christine redpath, ballet master:
"i was a dancer with the company beginning in 1969. when we were on tour in 1972, we went to russia--kiev, leningrad, tbilisi, moscow--and to poland, to lodz, and warsaw. we went to the mariinsky school in leningrad. as we got off the bus, balanchine was really tense. there was a press conference and the russians wanted to claim him as their own. they were toasting with vodka and saying, oh, he's ours and how great that he's come back! he said, 'oh, no. i'm american.'
"when balanchine would choreograph, his eyes would get very black. the pupils were huge. he would have the pianist play a few bars. he'd think about it, take one person and say, 'okay, try this.' if it didn't seem to fit the dancer, he would give something else. even though we would be saying, 'wait! i can do this!'
"today, when i'm in a studio with the dancers, and i'm working on one of jerry robbins' ballets, or mr. b's ballets, i'm filled with joy. my whole life, i've been happiest in the studio."
on the right is suzy alvarez, hair and wigs:
"everybody's face is different. some people have round faces, some people have long faces. obviously, if someone has a long face, i will not give them a middle part.
"you change according to the show. for midsummer night's dream you use a lot of glitter. glitter on their eyes, glitter in their hair. it's a fairytale. for romeo and juliet, you are in 15th century verona. i give the girls braids that they can wear in different ways. in the cage, by jerome robbins, everybody wears crazy hair. they're like cave people.
"sometimes in the middle of a show, a dancer has to take her hair down on stage while she's dancing, so i preset it. i use products. i use a curling iron and a flat iron. i put in two huge pins. then, when she's doing a turn, she pulls the pins and the hair comes tumbling down."
on the left is hank lavaia, stage carpentry:
"i was in vietnam for two years, 1968 to 1970. in 1970, right out of the army, i went to broadway for two months. worked at the majestic. then i came up here, and i stayed.
"george balanchine was a sweetheart of a guy. he was big on the crew. very efficient. he wanted no big scenery, no big sets. towards the end of his life he had a problem with his equilibrium. i fixed a railing in his apartment and we did some work on his steps.
"i'm a blessed man. i love my job. i was born to this. my grandfather and my father were stagehands. i fell right into the groove. stagehands work in the morning and then at night. it's two full jobs. same with dancers. they rehearse all morning, and they're on stage at night. days and nights, days and nights."
the drawing in the center is of christine redpath, ballet master:
"i was a dancer with the company beginning in 1969. when we were on tour in 1972, we went to russia--kiev, leningrad, tbilisi, moscow--and to poland, to lodz, and warsaw. we went to the mariinsky school in leningrad. as we got off the bus, balanchine was really tense. there was a press conference and the russians wanted to claim him as their own. they were toasting with vodka and saying, oh, he's ours and how great that he's come back! he said, 'oh, no. i'm american.'
"when balanchine would choreograph, his eyes would get very black. the pupils were huge. he would have the pianist play a few bars. he'd think about it, take one person and say, 'okay, try this.' if it didn't seem to fit the dancer, he would give something else. even though we would be saying, 'wait! i can do this!'
"today, when i'm in a studio with the dancers, and i'm working on one of jerry robbins' ballets, or mr. b's ballets, i'm filled with joy. my whole life, i've been happiest in the studio."
on the right is suzy alvarez, hair and wigs:
"everybody's face is different. some people have round faces, some people have long faces. obviously, if someone has a long face, i will not give them a middle part.
"you change according to the show. for midsummer night's dream you use a lot of glitter. glitter on their eyes, glitter in their hair. it's a fairytale. for romeo and juliet, you are in 15th century verona. i give the girls braids that they can wear in different ways. in the cage, by jerome robbins, everybody wears crazy hair. they're like cave people.
"sometimes in the middle of a show, a dancer has to take her hair down on stage while she's dancing, so i preset it. i use products. i use a curling iron and a flat iron. i put in two huge pins. then, when she's doing a turn, she pulls the pins and the hair comes tumbling down."
on the left is hank lavaia, stage carpentry:
"i was in vietnam for two years, 1968 to 1970. in 1970, right out of the army, i went to broadway for two months. worked at the majestic. then i came up here, and i stayed.
"george balanchine was a sweetheart of a guy. he was big on the crew. very efficient. he wanted no big scenery, no big sets. towards the end of his life he had a problem with his equilibrium. i fixed a railing in his apartment and we did some work on his steps.
"i'm a blessed man. i love my job. i was born to this. my grandfather and my father were stagehands. i fell right into the groove. stagehands work in the morning and then at night. it's two full jobs. same with dancers. they rehearse all morning, and they're on stage at night. days and nights, days and nights."
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