One of Atlanta’s biggest music festivals is back. Music Midtown, the annual music festival hosted at Piedmont Park, released its 2023 lineup Tuesday. See here or the full lineup of the scheduled performers beginning on Friday and performing through Sunday at Music Midtown 2023 lineup. Performers include Pink, Leah Kate, Billie Eilish, The Rose, and Guns N’ Roses.
The festival, described as “highly anticipated,” begins Friday, Sept. 15 and continues through Sunday, Sept. 17. It is headlined, as reported, “by some of the most famous names in pop, rock, and rap.” The several stages will feature a lineup of more than 40 bands and artists spanning all types of genres.
Local restaurants welcomed the event, such as Zocalo Mexican Kitchen and Cantina near Piedmont Park. “One of the restaurant’s partners, Luz Martinez, said with the event canceled last year, the business took a major hit.” Presumably, Martinez is illustrative of the many entrepreneurs who will benefit from the massive festival. “My staff is like, like really jumping out of their veins or bodies, everybody’s super, super, super excited,” said Martinez. “Thank God.”
As an example of the headlining and sequences of performances, “Pop music icon P!nk and Australian DJ Flume will headline the first night, followed by Gen Z Grammy-winner Billie Eilish and indie rockers The 1975 Saturday. Finishing the festival will be Los Angeles rock legends Guns N’ Roses and Atlanta rapper Lil Baby.”
The Atlanta-based festival was established in 1994. Its 29 years of music and fun was interrupted when the festival was canceled last year after organizers said there were “circumstances beyond our control.” As reported, organizers did not specifically identify the reason behind the cancelation. However, Billboard reported industry sources connecting the cancelation to Georgia’s “Safe Carry Protection Act.” As further reported, “The 2014 law allows guns on government land and in government buildings, with some exceptions.”
People interviewed by FOX 5 staff expressed unalloyed exuberance for the festival. “It’s a great opportunity for people to come and listen to music,” said Julie Mckie. Ammar Askar affirmed the enthusiasm. “It was like completely out of the blue, I was like, oh, like Midtown Music. I thought that stuff was like, not happening anymore.”
Purchase options are available but for some, beware of sticker shock. As stated, presale tickets begin Thursday at 10 a.m. with three-day general admission starting at $350. One-day tickets will start at around $200 each. Music lovers also have the option to choose from general admission plus, VIP, and Super VIP tickets. You can sign up for the presale on the festival’s website.


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domain: food


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A regular soldering iron is made up of various components. Modern soldering irons have relatively more parts and components mostly geared towards efficiency and safety improvements. We look at the basic parts of an average soldering iron.
Thermostat- In soldering, a thermostat switches of the heater once the preset temperature is reached and avoids further rise in temperature. This addresses the weakness in common soldering pencils that lack any kind of temperature control. For the common pencil iron, the tool stays heated for as long as it is connected to a power source. Extreme exposure to power could eventually cause it to burn. This is the primary reason why temperature-controlled soldering irons are preferred over ones without.
Filament- This is the part that converts electrical energy into heat. The filament is basically a heating element made of a very high resistance wire that heats when electrical current passes through it.
Tip- This is the small, sharp end of a soldering iron. Tips usually vary in size, shape, and in some case the material. There are three main tip shapes, bevel, conical and chisel shapes. The type of tip you will use depends on the requirement s of the task in hand.
Power cord- The power cord is the strip of wire that feeds power to the soldering iron. These vary in size and type depending on the manufacturer. Power cords are usually insulated and contain anything between two to five wires inside, again depending on the specific brand.
Handle- This is an insulated part of the soldering iron that is held while in operation. The handle is usually made of plastic or rubber to prevent any form of electrical conductivity that would otherwise pose risks of electrical shocks to the operator.Read More
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Like any other industry, the soldering industry has evolved constantly over time and has witnessed the introduction of new methods, techniques and tools. Some of the most notable improvements include resistance soldering, laser soldering, ultrasonic soldering and fiber-focus soldering.
Resistance soldering: This is done using a resistance soldering iron, a relatively rare tool. This involves passing a high-amperage current safely through an element of high resistance that provides very high but controllable heat used in soldering. The necessary conditions to using resistance soldering include an inbuilt step-down transformer, a resistive material which will produce the required heat and a complete electrical circuit.
Laser soldering: Laser soldering one of the more recent techniques that have the potential to replace regular soldering. In the laser technique, a laser beam from a laser soldering iron is used to illuminate leads which then emits heat and raises the temperature of the material to melting point. At this stage, solder is applied, melts and seals joints, crack and holes within or along the leads.
Ultrasonic soldering: Ultrasonic soldering relies on an effect known as cavitation. This arises when ultrasonic waves are applied to liquids. This effect releases a lot of energy within a very short time. This energy is used to remove the oxide layer from these elements that have very low solderability such as magnesium. Once the oxide layer is removed, there is no further need of flux application since the metal becomes fully solderable.
Fiber-focus soldering: This is perhaps the most advanced and the most complicated soldering technique. Basically, it involves passing infrared rays from various sources through a fiber elements and then focusing all these rays onto a single spot where the solder is applied and the materials bond. Infrared waves are used in heating in many industries such as aviation, kitchen appliances and spas. Fiber-focus soldering is however the least implemented of all available soldering techniques.
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There are various common terms and abbreviations used in soldering. This guide explains in brief the common ones of these. They include:
Soldering- Soldering can be described as the general process through which a filler metal (solder) is used to join pieces of metal or other components together. There are various types of methods depending on the technique, tools and methods used.
PCB- This stands for printed circuit board. It’s basically a board that has copper tracks laid onto it to transmit electric current. The board holds components together such as transistors and resistors.
SMT- Stands for surface mount technology. Surface mount technology allows soldering of components directly onto the surface of the PCB without the need to pass leads through the board. Surface-mounted components are becoming more and more common due to the obvious shortcomings associated with the use of through-hole soldering.
Desoldering- By the most basic definition, desoldering could be describes as the opposite of soldering. It is basically undoing what soldering does. While joints and bonds are created through soldering, they are undone through desoldering. This often happens as a result of mistakes made while soldering.
Soldering gun- A soldering gun is in essence an electrically-operated soldering iron shaped like a gun and uses the trigger to transfer and control heat transfer. A soldering gun is usually used in situations where the soldering needed requires more heat than can be supplied by a soldering iron. Soldering guns have a wattage ranging from 100 to 220 watts of power.
Cold solder joint- In soldering, a cold joint is the point of a bond formed by molten solder that did not melt fully or as required. Cold joints can be caused by a wide range of factors including incorrect soldering temperatures, poor contact between the solder and iron tip and use of poor quality solder.


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Mumford and Sons
If artists like England's Mumford and Sons continue to produce some of the best music of the genre, the term "Americana" may eventually have to be replaced. Using classic American folk-rock ingredients like banjo, dobro and good old-fashioned misery, the band has become an increasingly growing musical phenomenon. Its debut album, Sigh No More, released in the States in 2010, flows from loud and raucous ("Little Lion Man") to slow and tragic ("White Blank Page"). The bandmembers are rumored to have written the majority of their forthcoming project, scheduled for release later this year, in Nashville in an effort to cultivate and bring out their rootsy influences.
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domain: artistic


- La Bayadère
"La Bayadère" ("The Temple Dancer") (RussianБаядерка - "Bayaderka") is a
ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven scenes, choreographed by the balletmaster Marius Petipato the music of Ludwig Minkus. It was first performed by the Imperial Balletat the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatrein St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, on OldStyleDate|February 4|1877|January 23. A scene from the ballet, known as "The Kingdom of the Shades", is one of the most celebrated excerpts in all of classical ballet, and it is often extracted from the full-length work to be performed independently.
"La Bayadère" has been restaged and revived many times throughout its long performance history, most notably by Marius Petipa (1900, for the Imperial Ballet),
Alexander Gorskyand Vasily Tikhomirov(1904 for the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre), Agrippina Vaganova(1932, for the Kirov Ballet), Vakhtang Chabukianiand Vladimir Ponomarev(1941, for the Kirov Ballet), Rudolf Nureyev(1963—the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades", for the Royal Ballet), Natalia Makarova(1974—the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades"; and 1980—full-length, for American Ballet Theatre), Rudolf Nureyev (1992, for the Paris Opera Ballet), and Sergei Vikharev(2001—in a reconstruction of Petipa's last revival of 1900).
Today, "La Bayadère" is presented primarily in one of two different versions—those productions derived from Vakhtang Chabukiani and Vladimir Ponomarev's 1941 revival for the Kirov Ballet, and those productions derived from Natalia Makarova's 1980 version for
American Ballet Theatre; which is itself derived from Chabukiani and Ponomarev's version.
"La Bayadère" was the creation of the choreographer
Marius Petipa, the renowned " Premier Maître de Ballet" of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, Russian Emperor's institution of theatrical arts that included the Imperial Ballet(today the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet). The music was written by the Austrian/Czech composer Ludwig Minkus, Petipa's chief collaborator, who from 1871 until 1886 held the official post of "Ballet Composer to St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres".
"La Bayadère" is a typical production of the period in which it was produced: extravagant tableaux interspersed with episodes on an active, melodramatic scenario which takes place in an exotic and ancient locale—the ideal vehicle for spectacular dances and mimed scenes, all set in an atmosphere consisting of lavish décor and sumptuous costumes. During the 1860s until the mid-1880s Petipa favored the subjects of his ballets to be of the
romantic ballettradition—ballets which were typically melo-dramas involving a love triangle of some sort, and usually consisting of a supernatural female creature who would embody the feminine ideal. The rather tragic scenario of "La Bayadère" is certainly a work that conforms to these elements.
The true origins of "La Bayadère" are rather obscured, and the identity of the person responsible for creating the ballet's scenario is open to debate. Typically before a new work was to have its premiere on the Imperial stage, the libretto and a list of dances were published in the newspaper, along with an article discussing its creation. In the case of "La Bayadère", no author was credited when the libretto was first published in the "St. Petersburg Gazette" in late 1876. When Petipa revived "La Bayadère" in 1900, the newspaper again published the libretto, this time naming the writer/dramatist/ballet historian
Sergei Khudekovas author. Petipa soon wrote a letter of correction to the newspaper's editor, stating that he alone bore responsibility for the libretto, though Khudekov did in fact contribute eight lines of stage direction in the margin. The "St. Petersburg Gazette" then published an apology to the Ballet Master, and named him as sole author. There is no evidence to dispute Petipa's claim of authorship, either by Khudekov or any of Petipa's contemporaries.
Petipa was not a man who had scruples about giving credit where credit was due, and when it came to work he alone was responsible for he made certain all published credits were accurate. In 1894 the Ballet Master wrote to the editor of the "St. Petersburg Gazette" when an article was published claiming his "Le Réveil de Flore" ("The Awakening of Flora") was choreographed by both him and
Lev Ivanov. In his letter Petipa stated that he alone was responsible for the choreography and the " mise en scène", with Ivanov merely serving as an assistant in staging his dances. Nevertheless Petipa's efforts in correcting the newspaper seemed to have proved fruitless—the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet's 2007 reconstruction of "Le Réveil de Flore" credits both him and Ivanov with the choreography.
In 1839 a touring company of authentic Indian
Bayadères visited Paris, and the celebrated dramatist Théophile Gautierwrote some of his most inspired pages in describing the troupe's principal dancer Amani. Years later in 1855 Gautier recorded the tragic fact that the dancer had hung herself in a fit of depression in fog-bound Londonwhile longing for her beloved India, and as an homage to the Bayadère Gautier wrote the libretto for the ballet " Sacountala", derived in part from a play by the Indian poet Kalidasa. The work was first presented in Parison July 14, 1858by the Ballet du Théâtre Impérial de l´Opéra(today known as the Paris Opera Ballet) in a staging by Marius Petipa's brother Lucien Petipato the music of Ernest Reyer. This is the work that many ballet historians have cited as the true inspiration for Petipa's "La Bayadère".
Another work with similar themes of exotic India that may have inspired Petipa was
Filippo Taglioni's two-Act opera-ballet "Le Dieu et la Bayadère, ou La Courtisane amoureuse ", set to the music of Daniel Auber, and presented in Paris at the Opéra. This ballet was first presented on October 13, 1830, and was attended by a young Marius Petipa. The action of this work was fashioned by Eugene Scribefrom Johann Goethe's "Der Gott und die Bajadere". The work was an enormous success, and included the vocal talents of the celebrated tenor and dramatist Adolphe Nourrit, with the legendary Ballerina Marie Taglioniin the principal role of Zöloe.
Petipa's "La Bayadère" (meaning "The Temple Dancer" or "The Temple Maiden") tells the story of the Bayadère Nikiya and the warrior Solor, who have sworn eternal fidelity to one another. The High Brahmin, however, is also in love with Nikiya and learns of her relationship with Solor. Moreover, the Rajah Dugmanta of Golconda has selected Solor to be the fiancé of his daughter Gamzatti (or Hamsatti, as she is known in the original production), and Nikiya, unaware of the arrangement, agrees to dance at the couple's betrothal celebrations.
The jealous High Brahmin—in an effort to have Solor killed and have Nikiya for himself—tells the Rajah that the warrior has already vowed love to the Bayadère over a sacred fire. But the High Brahmin's plan backfires when, rather than becoming angry with Solor, the Rajah vows that Nikiya should be the one who must die. Gamzatti, who has been eavesdropping on this exchange, summons Nikiya to the palace in an attempt to bribe the Bayadère into giving up her beloved. As their rivalry ensues, Nikiya picks up a dagger in a fit of rage and attempts to kill Gamzatti, only to be stopped in the nick of time by Gamzatti's aya (or maid). Nikiya then flees in horror at what she had almost done. As did her father, Gamzatti vows that the Bayadère must die.
At the betrothal celebrations Nikiya performs a somber dance while playing her
veena. She is then given a basket of flowers which she believes are from Solor, and so begins a frenzied and joyous dance. Little does she know that the basket is from the Rajah and Gamzatti, who have concealed beneath the flowers a venemous snake. The Bayadère then holds the basket too close and the serpent charges forth and bites her on the neck. The High Brahmin offers Nikiya an antidote to the poison, but she chooses death rather than life without her beloved Solor.
In the next scene the depressed Solor smokes
opium. In his dream-like euphoria he has a vision of Nikiya's shade (or spirit) in a nirvanaamong the star-lit mountain peaks of the Himalayascalled "The Kingdom of the Shades". Here, the lovers reconcile among the supreme opulence and order of the shades of other Bayadères (in the original production of 1877 this scene took place in an illuminated enchanted palace). When Solor awakes, preparations are underway for his wedding to Gamzatti.
In the temple where the wedding is to take place the shade of Nikiya haunts Solor during his dances with Gamzatti. When the High Brahmin joins the couple's hands in marriage, the Gods take revenge for Nikiya's murder by destroying the temple and all of its occupants.
apotheosisthe shades of both Nikiya and Solor are reunited and spirited off toward the Himalayas.
"La Bayadère" was created especially for the benefit performance of
Ekaterina Vazem(pronounced "Voz-yom"), "Prima ballerina of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres". During the mid to late 19th century Russian ballet was dominated by foreign artists, though during the late 1860s through the early 1880s the theatre administration encouraged the promotion of native talent. The Russian ballerina Vazem – a "terre-à-terre" virtuosa – had climbed the ranks of the Imperial Ballet to become one of the company's most celebrated dancers.
The role of Solor—being almost exclusively a mimed role with no classical dances—was created by
Lev Ivanov, "Premier danseur of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres". Ivanov would go on to become régisseur and Second Ballet Master to the Imperial Theatres, as well as a noted choreographer (among his works: the first production of " The Nutcracker"—although this is open to some debate; and the so-called "Lakeside scenes" of the important 1895 revival of "Swan Lake").
Petipa's work on "La Bayadère"
Petipa spent almost six months staging "La Bayadère", all the while mounting the work in the midst of difficult circumstances. The Director of the Imperial Theatres, the aristocrat
Baron Karl Karlovich Kister, had very little sympathy for the ballet, and enforced stringent budget limitations whenever possible. At that time in Tsarist St. Petersburg the Imperial Italian Opera was in fashion far more than ballet, and as a result of enjoying the favor of the public, the troupe monopolized on rehearsal space and performance time on the stage of the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre(principle theatre of the Imperial Ballet and Opera until 1886, when the companies were transferred to the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre). This left the ballet company only two days a week in which to perform, while the Italian Opera performed six, and sometimes seven times per week. Because of this, Petipa was given only one dress rehearsal for "La Bayadère", being the first and only time before the premiere that all of the scenes and dances were brought together on stage. During this rehearsal, Petipa clashed with the "Prima ballerina" Vazem over the matter of her entrance in the ballet's final " Grand Pas d'action", and the Ballet Master also experienced many problems with the set designers who constructed the ballet's elaborate stage effects. To make matters worse the ballet master was fearful his new work would play to an empty house, as the Director Kister increased the ticket prices to be higher than that of the Italian Opera, which at that time were rather expensive. It is significant to note that the 1877 premiere of "Swan Lake" was being prepared in Moscow the same year as "La Bayadère" in St. Petersburg.
Petipa opened "La Bayadère" with the scene "The Festival of Fire" (Act I-Scene 1)—a scene in which the delicate dances of the Bayadères alternated with wild and frenzied dancing from the
fakirs, who while in a state of religious intoxication jumped through a sacred fire and taunted their bodies with daggers and knives. The "Betrothal Celebrations" of Act II opened with the "Grand Procession in honor of the Idol Badrinata", set to Minkus's grandiose "march" reminiscent of a scene from Verdi's " Aida" (for which Petipa also choreographed the dances in the Imperial Opera's production). The procession from Act II of "La Bayadère" consisted of thirty six entrances for 216 participants, which included the hero Solor making his entrance atop a fifteen-foot-high bejewelled prop elephant (in his 1868 grand ballet " Le Roi Candaule", Petipa also included an elaborate procession in which the heroine made her entrance riding an elephant). This was followed by the "Grand divertissement" which consisted of dances for the slaves and the "corps de ballet", as well as character dances. Among these pieces was the "Danse manu", in which the Ballerina attempts to balance a waterjug on her head, all the while attempting to keep its contents from two thirsty little girls. Following the "Danse manu" was the "Danse infernale": a character number set to Minkus's rousing drums which one critic found to be "more of the Indians of America than those of India". After a "Coda générale" for all participants, there followed the celebrated "Scène dansée" of the heroine Nikiya, where in the original production the Ballerina began her somber performance with a prop veenato Minkus' mournful cellosolo. This was followed by a frenzied coda, and the death of the heroine by the bite of a serpent.
Typically a ballet of the period had one major "
Pièce de résistance" in the course of an evening-length production, which was typically the " Grand pas". For "La Bayadère", Petipa gave his audience two: the appearance of the heroine Nikiya's shade at the wedding of Solor and Gamzatti in the final act, and the vision scene known as "The Kingdom of the Shades". Petipa's staged the appearance of Nikiya's shade at the wedding of Solor and Gamzatti in the context of a "Grand Pas d'action", very much reminiscent of the "Grand Pas de trois" from Act I of Filippo Taglioni's original 1832 " La Sylphide"—the shade of the bayadère Nikiya is only visible to her beloved Solor during his dances with Gamzatti.
The most celebrated and enduring passage of "La Bayadère" was Petipa's grand vision scene known as "The Kingdom of the Shades". Petipa staged this scene as a "Grand pas classique" in the strictest sense of the word, completely devoid of any dramatic action. His simple and academic choreography was to become among his most celebrated compositions, with the "Entrée" known as the "Entrée de l'ombres" ("Entrance of the Shades") becoming perhaps his most celebrated composition of all. The "Entrée de l'ombres" was inspired by Doré's illustrations for
Dante's "Paradiso" from " The Divine Comedy", with each dancer of the thirty two strong "Corps de ballet" clad in white tutus with veils stretched about their arms. Each of the dancers made her entrance, one by one, down a long winding ramp from upstage right, with a simple Arabesque cambré, followed by an arching of the torso with arm in fifth position, followed by two steps forward. With the last two steps she made room for her sister shade, and the combination would continue thus in a serpentine pattern until the entire "corps de ballet" had filled the stage in eight rows of four. Then followed simple movements "en adage" to the end, where the Ballerinas split into two rows and lined opposite sides of the stage in preparation for the following dances. Petipa left the "Entrée de l'ombres" free of technical complexity—the unison of the whole and the effect of the descending Ballerinas was the challenge, as a mistake from one dancer would spoil the effect. It is interesting to note that when Petipa first staged the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" it was set in an enchanted palace in the sky on a fully-lighted stage.
Despite the ballet's setting in ancient India,
Ludwig Minkus's music and Petipa's choreography, even in the character numbers, made barely any gesture to traditional forms of Indian danceand music, as the ballet was essentially a vision of the southern orient through 19th century European eyes, particularly since it was produced during the height of the British Raj( Queen Victoriaof England took the title Empress of Indiain 1877). Although in some sections Ludwig Minkus's score contained melodies that were somewhat reminiscent of the southern orient, his score was a definitive example of the "musique dansante" in vogue at that time, and did not stray at all from the usual string of lightly orchestrated melodious polkas, adagios, Viennese-style waltzes, and the like.
In that same regard Petipa's choreography contained various elements that reminded the spectator of the ballet's setting, but never once did the ballet master stray from the classical ballet canon. Petipa was not at all interested in ethnographic accuracy in any part of the ballet with regards to choreography. This was, after all, the fashion of the time, for whether a ballet was set in China, India, or the Middle East, the ballet master rarely, if ever, considered including traditional native dance forms.
The well-traveled and learned ballet historian
Konstantin Skalkovskycommented in his review of the 1877 premiere "La Bayadère" on the work's ethnographic inaccuracies: cquote|... Petipa borrowed from India ... only some external features, because the dances of the opening scene, "The Festival of Fire", are little similar to the dances of real Bayadères, which consist, as is well known, of some oscillations of the body and measured movements of the arms to the most doleful music. But if the dances of the Bayadères are ethnographically inaccurate, the idea of having the daughter of a Rajah to dance is in still greater disagreement with reality. According to Indian notions only courtesans can sing and dance, and every woman who would break this sacred decree would quickly be punished by contempt or caste.
The cast consisted of many of the Imperial Ballet's most esteemed artists. Aside from Vazem and Ivanov in the roles of Nikiya and Solor, the celebrated Ballerina
Maria Gorshenkovaperformed Gamzatti, the High Brahmin by Nikolai Golts, and Dugmanta, the Rajah of Gulconda was performed by Christian Johansson. The lavish décor was designed by Mikhail Bocharovfor Act I-scene 1; Matvei Shishkovfor Act I-scene 2 and Act II; Ivan Andreyevfor Act III-scene 1 and Act IV-scene 1; Heinrich Wagner for Act III-scene 2 "The Kingdom of the Shades"; and Piotr Lambinfor the Act IV-scene 2 Apotheosis.
The premiere of "La Bayadère" on OldStyleDate|February 5|1877|January 23, played to a full house at the
Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, and was a resounding success. At the end of the performance the choreographer Petipa, the Ballerina Vazem, and the composer Minkus were called for several times. Not since Petipa had mounted his last oriental extravaganza, " Tsar Kandavl" (or "Le Roi Candaule") in 1868 had there been such unanimous praise from the critics and balletomanes.
Of course the audiences of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres adored melodramatic ballets, and the plot of "La Bayadère" ensured a number of powerful encounters: the scene of jealousy between Nikiya and Gamzatti, as well as the scene of Nikiya's rejection of the High Brahmin's declaration of love, were all praised by critics. A critic from the St. Petersburg newspaper "The Theatre Echo" commented positively: cquote|Looking at the new ballet one can only be astonished at the inexhaustible imagination that (Petipa) possesses. All of the dances are distinguished by their originality and color; novelties in groupings, a wealth of invention, the intelligence of the story, and its correlation with the locale of the action – these are the principal merits of "La Bayadère". One critic hailed the work humorously as ""Giselle", east of the Suez", while another went on to comment on the mistakes made by the stage hands when presenting the "special effects" of the ballet, which apparently worked effectively only when timed correctly: cquote|... a mimed dialogue where (the character Nikiya) reveals a castle in the sky (to the character Solor) was not timed correctly with Mme. Vazem's gesture, and the castle, which was seen through a window, did not appear until the Danseuse had already turned away ... the final scene which included the destruction of the temple in Roller's design went quite wretchedly – the structure did not begin to collapse until long moments after the musical cue, which led to a few uneasy moments with the performers running frantically about the stage for no apparent reason.
Ekaterina Vazem's portrayal of the Bayadère Nikiya became the rage of St. Petersburg society, as she was considered by the balletomanes and critics to be the supreme ballerina of her generation. After the performance the ballerina received a diamond studded ruby brooch, along with large bouquets of flowers, one of which was from
Adelina Patti, the celebrated "Prima donna" who at that time was engaged as guest artist with the St. Petersburg Imperial Italian Opera. A critic from "The Voice" had nothing but praise for Vazem's portrayal of the heroine Nikiya: cquote|(Vazem's performance was) a miracle of the choreographic art. It is difficult to evaluate that perfection with which the benefit artist, Mme. Vazem, performed all of the new dances in her new role, both classical and character. Her incomparable talent has no peer at the present time in all Europe. She has attained such a degree of perfection that it would seem impossible to go further.
The ballet historian
Vera Krosovskayawould later give an assessment of Petipa's original production of "La Bayadère": cquote|... the cheered premiere was a point of intersection of the St. Petersburg ballet's traditions and generations of dancers ... marking the transition of the Romantic ballet transforming into Classical.
Between the premiere and Ekaterina Vazem's farewell retirement benefit performance on OldStyleDate|January 29|1884|January 17, "La Bayadère" was performed seventy times. The ballet was not performed again until OldStyleDate|December 26|1884|14 December when it was given a minor revival by Petipa for the Ballerina
Anna Johansson. Petipa left much of the ballet as it was staged originally, limiting his alterations to only the Ballerina's dances.
When Anna Johansson retired in 1886, she chose the second act for her farewell benefit performance. This was the last time any part of "La Bayadère" was performed before the work was taken out of the Imperial Ballet's repertory.
In late 1899, it was arranged for the Imperial Ballet's "Premier danseur"
Pavel Gerdtto be given a benefit performance in honor of his fortieth year of artistic activity on the St. Petersburg ballet stage. Also that year, the Imperial Ballet's newly appointed "Prima ballerina assoluta" Mathilde Kschessinskayashowed interest in having Petipa revive "La Bayadère". It was agreed that the work would be a perfect vehicle for both Gerdt and Kschessinskaya, and soon Petipa began mounting a complete revival of the work for the 1900-1901 season.
Among Petipa's most striking changes for this revival was the change of setting for the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" from an enchanted castle in the sky on a fully lighted stage, to a dark rocky landscape at the peaks of the
Himalayas. Petipa swelled the number of dancers in the "Corps de ballet" from thiry-two to forty-eight, making the illusion of descending spirits all the more effective in the famous "Entrée de l'ombres".
Petipa also created difficult choreography for the Ballerina's variations. Kschessinskaya commented on the revival many years later: cquote|Petipa's dances for Nikiya (in the 1900 revival) were simple while still very challenging, and I had to make certain that I was in excellent form in order to properly execute his steps.
Another important change was the interpolation of "new" variations into the final "Grand Pas d'action" for the principal characters. As was the custom at the time, Minkus did not compose variations for the final "Grand pas d'action" of "La Bayadère", which were always performed ad libitum, i.e. at the dancers choice (in his original score, Minkus wrote in the margin "followed by Solor and Gamzatti's variations" after the "Grand adage" of the "Grand Pas d'action"). Typically such variations were taken from already existing ballets.
Since the fifty six year old
Pavel Gerdtwas unable to dance Solor's variations, the Danseur Nikolai Legatperformed them in his place. For his variation in the "Grand pas d'action" Legat chose the "Variation de Prince Djalma", added by Minkus to Petipa's 1874 revival of the Taglioni/Offenbach "Le Papillon". In 1941 Vakhtang Chabukiani re-choreographed this variation for himself, which is still performed today by all male dancers who perform the role of Solor in "La Bayadère".
The "Prima Ballerina"
Olga Preobrajenskayadanced the role of Gamzatti in Petipa's 1900 revival of "La Bayadère", and no record exists of what variation she performed during the final "Grand pas d'action". By the time "La Bayadère" was revived by Vakhtang Chabukiani and Vladimir Ponomarevat the Mariinsky Theatre in 1941, the variation traditionally danced by the character Gamzatti in the "Grand pas d'action" was the "Variation de Nisia" to music by Cesare Pugni, taken from the celebrated "Pas de Vénus" from Petipa's 1868 ballet " Le Roi Candaule". In 1947 the Balletmaster Pyotr Gusevrevised Petipa's choreography for this variation, which is still performed today.
In the original production of "La Bayadère" Nikiya did not dance a variation during the ballet's final "Grand pas d'action". However, Mathilde Kschessinskaya commissioned the Imperial Theatre's kappelmiester
Riccardo Drigoto compose a new variation for her performance. As was her preference, Drigo orchestrated the music primarily for solo harp and pizzicato. This variation became the Ballerina's legal property, as was the custom of the time, and was never again performed by anyone else.
Petipa's second revival of "La Bayadère" was presented on OldStyleDate|December 15|1900|December 3 at the
Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, receiving a rather mixed reaction from the critics and balletomanes. One critic of the "St. Petersburg Gazette" stated that Petipa's choreography was "" ... perhaps more boring than long and uninteresting ... ". Nevertheless, the ballet soon became one of the great vehicles for the ballerinas of the Tsarist stage, and earned a permanent place in the repertory. "La Bayadère" was soon considered to be one of the supreme challenges for the danseuse to demonstrate both her technical and dramatic skills. Olga Preobrajenskaya, Vera Trefilova, Anna Pavlova(who made her last appearance with the Imperial Ballet in the role of the heroine Nikiya in 1914), Ekaterina Geltzer, Lubov Egorova, and Olga Spessivtseva, to name but a distinguished few, all triumphed in the role of Nikiya. The scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" became one of the ultimate tests for the "corps de ballet", and many young Ballerinas made their débuts in the variations from this scene.
In March 1903, the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" was performed independently for the first time during a gala performance at
Peterhofin honor of a state visit from Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Petipa's 1900 production was changed very little over the course of its performance history. One of the major changes made to the work came in 1914 when Nikolai Legat extended the "Pas d'action de Nikiya et Solor" (aka "Love Duet of Nikiya and Solor") from Act I-scene 1, adding in more athletic lifts and modern partnering elements. Legat's version of this "Pas" is still performed today, and has widely been accepted as Petipa's choreography.
The notation of Petipa's 1900 production
As with many of the works in the repertory of the Imperial Ballet at the turn of the 20th century, Petipa's choreography for the 1900 revival of "La Bayadère" was documented in the method of Stepanov Choreographic Notation at some point between 1900 and 1903 by the Imperial Ballet's régisseur
Nicholas Sergeyevand his team of notators. Aside from "La Bayadère", the ballets which were notated included Petipa's original "The Sleeping Beauty", " Raymonda", and his definitive version of " Giselle", as well as the 1895 Petipa/Ivanov " Swan Lake", and the Petipa/Ivanov/Cecchetti " Coppélia".
It was with these notations that such works as "The Sleeping Beauty", "Giselle", "Swan Lake", and "Coppelia" were staged for the first time in the west by Sergeyev. Today these notations—which include many of Petipa's ballets which are no longer performed—are preserved in a collection known as the
Sergeyev Collection, which is today contained in the Harvard University Library Theatre Collection.
Early "After Petipa" productions
The first "after Petipa" production of "La Bayadère" was staged for the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre by the Danseur
Vasily Tikhomirovand the Balletmaster Alexander Gorsky, premiering OldStyleDate|January 19|1904|January 6, with the Ballerina Adelaide Giurias Nikiya, Tikhomirov as Solor, and Ekaterina Geltzeras Gamzatti. For this production Gorsky chose to include more ethnographically accurate costumes and choreographic elements, though he did not deviate all that severely from Petipa's original choreographic scheme. This seemed to work in every part of the ballet except for "The Kingdom of the Shades", as Gorsky had clad the Ballerinas in Indian dress, rather than the traditional white tutus with veils for the arms. In spite of the mixed reception Gorsky's revival received, the production remained in the Bolshoi's repertory until July 1919, being the last time the full-length "La Bayadère" would be seen on the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre until Yuri Grigorovichstaged his version for the company in 1991.
Lophukov's production and the loss of Act IV
With the hardships brought upon the Russian Ballet by the Russian revolution, many of the works from the repertory of the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet left the stage forever, and those that survived were soon severely altered. "La Bayadère" was performed for the last time in Petipa's 1900 production in August 1916. The ballet was revived in 1920 at the former
Imperial Mariinsky Theatrein a production staged by Fedor Lophukovespecially for the Ballerina Olga Spessivtseva, with Minkus' score adapted by Boris Afanasiev.
Although the reasons have become lost to history, Lophukov's 1920 production of "La Bayadère" was the first revival of the full-length work to omit the final act (Act IV; known in the original libretto as the "The Wrath of the Gods"). Historians have cited many possible reasons for this omission: when
Petrogradwas flooded in 1924 many of the sets and costumes of the works performed at the Mariinsky Theatre were destroyed, among them, the décor for Act IV of "La Bayadère", and it is likely that the post-revolution St. Petersburg/Petrograd ballet did not have the funding to produce new décor. Another explanation is that the Mariinsky Theatre lacked the technical staff needed to produce the effect of the temple's destruction. A third explanation sites the fact that the Soviet regime would not have allowed the performance of a theatrical presentation that included themes of Hindu gods destroying a temple. It may very well be that all of this factored into the loss of Act IV, which would not be performed again in Petipa's design for another seventy-four years.
With the loss of Act IV, the ballet's scenario had to be modified, and so Lophukov fashioned a short epilogue with which to end the ballet. In thi scene, the hero Solor awakes from his dream and is reunited with the Bayadère Nikiya. Lophukov still retained its final "Grand Pas d'action" from Act IV, which the Ballet Master moved into the Act II "Betrothal Celebrations". Since it was now taken out of its original context, Lophukov revised Petipa's choreography and edited Minkus' music in order for it to fit with the new scenario. Petipa's "Danse des fleurs de lotus" from Act IV—a dance for twenty-four female students—was completely omitted.
December 13, 1932the great pedagogue of the Soviet Ballet Agrippina Vaganovapresented her version of "La Bayadère" for the Kirov Ballet (the former Imperial Ballet). Owing much of her production to Lophukov's 1920 redaction (including his "new" ending), and never straying to far from Petipa's original design for the dances, Vaganova nevertheless revised the Ballerina's dances for her star pupil Marina Semenova, who danced Nikiya. This included triple pirouettes "sur le pointe" (on the toes), and fast pique turns en dehors. Although Vaganova's revival did not find a permanent place in the repertory, her modifications to the Ballerina's dances would become the standard.
The Kirov Ballet's revival of 1941
In 1940 the Kirov Ballet once again made plans to revive "La Bayadère", this time in a staging by the Balletmaster
Vladimir Ponomarevand the "Premier danseur" Vakhtang Chabukiani. This version would be the definitive staging of "La Bayadère" from which nearly every subsequent production would be based.
Ponomarev and Chabukiani edited much of the ballet's incidental scenes in order to speed up the action, and either trimmed or completely omitted Petipa's original mime sequences, which by the mid 20th century were considered old fashioned by the Soviet ballet. Most of the changes were to be found in the Act II "Betrothal Celebrations" - Ponomarev and Chabukiani revised the choreography completely for the original "Grand Pas d'action" from the last act, which was transferred by Lopukhov to Act II, transforming the piece into a "Grand pas classique" for Solor, Gamzatti, four Ballerinas, and two Suitors. The "Grand divertissement" of Act II went through changes as well: the "Danse des esclaves" was omitted, and the two part "Danse pour quatre bayadères" was modified so that the second dance could be performed after the central Adage of the "Grand pas classique". Another important change was made to Nikiya's final dance at the end of Act II, which Petipa had originally choreographed to be performed with a prop
veena. Although the choreography was retained without change the prop veena was taken out.
Originally before the "Pas de deux" for Nikiya et Solor of Act I, an elaborate harp candenza would herald the beginning of a scene in which Solor watched Nikiya from afar while she played a veena in a high window of the temple. For the 1941 production this number was re-choreographed so that Nikiya would instead perform a solo to the same music while holding a water pitcher on her shoulder, a revision retained in nearly all modern productions.
Ponomarev and Chabukiani then omitted an entire sequence which took place after the High Brahmin spies on the exchange of vows between Nikiya and Solor. In the original production, this passage included a scene where Bayadères return from the temple to gather water, followed by an extended scene of Nikiya and Solor saying goodbye to one another before the High Brahmin returns to swear vengeance over the sacred fire.
Ponomarev and Chabukiani chose to include the 1900 décor for the scenes used in their production, which were restored by the designer
Mikhail Shishliannikov. However an entirely new set was created for the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" in Shishliannikov's design. Minkus's original music was also restored from his original hand-written manuscript, though it was properly edited and re-ordered in accordance with the new scenario and order of dances.
Unlike Fyodor Lophukov's revival of 1920 that included a short scene in which to end the ballet, Ponomarev and Chabukiani chose to end "La Bayadère" with "The Kingdom of the Shades". Minkus's original ending for the "Grand coda" of the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" was altered, and the epilogue from the original
apotheosisof Act IV was tacked on to the music in order to bring the ballet to a close.
The Ponomarev/Chabukiani revival of "La Bayadère" premiered on
February 10, 1941to a resounding success, with Natalia Dudinskayaas Nikiya and Vakhtang Chabukianias Solor.
The choreography for the dances of Nikiya went through yet another renaissance in the hands of the great virtuosa Ballerina Dudinskaya, whose revisions to the choreography are today the standard. Although her interpretation of the tragic Nikiya was looked on as unsuitable for the stellar Ballerina, she nevertheless excelled in "The Kingdom of the Shades", where Petipa's strict academic patterns prevailed. In the "Variation de Nikiya" (a.k.a. the "Scarf Duet") she studded the choreography with multiple tours en arabesque, and included, for the first time, airy splits in her Grand jetés during the "Entrée de Nikiya", all the while adding fast piqué turns in the "Grand coda".
The choreography for Solor went through a renaissance as well with the great "Premier danseur" Chabukiani in the role. Although the dances for the role of Solor had become far more prominent since "La Bayadère" had been performed in Imperial Russia, Chabukiani's "new" choreography would become the standard for all proceeding male dancers. For the 1941 revival he rechoreographed
Nikolai Legat's variation for Solor from the original "Grand Pas d'action", and also added another variation: he arranged for Minkus's music for the second passage of the "Grand coda" in the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" to be repeated as a solo for Solor, a tradition which is still preserved today.
In 1977, the Kirov Ballet's 1941 Ponomarev/Chabukiani production of "La Bayadère" was filmed and later released onto DVD/video with
Gabriella Komlevaas Nikiya, Tatiana Terekhovaas Gamzatti, and Rejen Abdeyevas Solor.
The Golden Idol
In 1948 the Kirov Ballet Danseur
Nikolai Zubkovskyadded an exotic character variation to the "Grand divertissement" of Act II of "La Bayadère" known in Russia as "Bazhok" or as the "Little God", or as it would later be called in the west, "The Dance of the Golden Idol" (in Natalia Makarova's production the role is known as "The Bronze Idol").
Zubkovsky created an athletic male variation in which the dancer represents a golden statue, or idol, reminiscent of the
Hindugod Shiva, thereby requiring the Danseur to be completely covered from head to toe in brazen makeup of either a bronze or gold color, with the hands at all times held in the "lotus blossom" position from traditional Indian dancing.
The music used by Zubkovsky for this variation was fashioned from the "Marche persane" ("Persian March") composed by Ludwig Minkus for Petipa's 1874 revival of the Taglioni/Offenbach ballet "Le Papillon", perhaps being the only surviving composition of Minkus in the 5/4 time signature. Today this variation is among the most popular passages of "La Bayadère" with audiences.
In Makarova's version of "La Bayadère" this solo opens the last Act, and follows John Lanchbery's introduction. The Minkus music is presented in Lanchbery's reorchesreated version. Choreographically Makarova slightly revised Zubkovsky's original steps, but remained faithful to the basic shape of the original.
Pas de Deux of Nikiya and the Slave
In 1954 the Ballet Master and "Premier danseur" of the Kirov Ballet (and soon to be director of the troupe)
Konstantin Sergeyevinterpolated a new "Pas de Deux" into Act I-scene 2 of "La Bayadère" especially for his wife, Natalia Dudinskaya. The "Pas" was choreographed by Sergeyev as an exotic duet with spectacular lifts and elaborate partnering for the Bayadère Nikiya and a slave partner, with Nikiya making her entrance wrapped in a long veil.
The music used by Sergeyev for this "Pas de deux" is by
Cesare Pugni, being an "adage" taken from the Act II "Pas des fleurs" from Jules Perrot's 1844 ballet "La Esmeralda".
Early productions in the West
Anna Pavlovahad intended to include an abridged version of "The Kingdom of the Shades" for her touring company in the 1910s, for which an adaptation of Minkus' music was prepared (whoever was responsible for this has become lost to history). But for reasons unknown the production never came to fruition (the conductor Richard Bonyngeincluded this version of Minkus' music on his 1962 recording "The Art of the Prima Ballerina", as well as on his 1994 recording of John Lanchbery's adaptation of Minkus' score for Natalia Makarova's production of "La Bayadère"). Nicholas Sergeyev, the former régisseur of the Imperial Ballet, staged his own version of Petipa's "The Kingdom of the Shades", under the title "Songe du Rajah", for the Riga Opera Balletof Riga, Latvia, premiering September 24, 1923. He also staged "Songe du Rajah" for the short-lived Russian Ballet Companyin London, which premiered to great success at the Bournemouth Pavilionon March 5, 1934. Sergeyev had made plans to stage "Songe du Rajah" for Serge Diaghilev's original Ballets Russesin Paris for the 1929-1930 season, but the production was never realized (possibly due to Diaghilev's death in August 1929). In spite of Sergeyev's many stagings of "Songe du Rajah" for various European companies the work never found a permanent place in the ballet repertory, and by the 1940s was no longer performed. Today choreographic documentaion of "Songe du Rajah" is included among the notations in the famous Sergeyev Collection.
Although "La Bayadère" was considered a classic in Russia, the work was almost completely unknown in the west. The first real glimpse that western audiences had of the work was when the Kirov Ballet performed "The Kingdom of the Shades" at the
Palais Garnierin Parison July 4, 1961, and soon this almost totally unknown piece from the Imperial Petipa repertory became the talk of the western ballet world. Two years later, Rudolf Nureyevstaged the scene for the Royal Ballet, with Margot Fonteynas Nikiya. Since the original Minkus orchestral parts were only available at that time in Soviet Russia, Nureyev called upon the Royal Opera House composer/conductor John Lanchberyto orchestrate the music from a piano reduction. The premiere was a resounding success, and is considered to be among the most important moments in the history of ballet.
The dance critic
Arlene Crocecommented on Petipa's "The Kingdom of the Shades" in her review of Makarova's staging of the scene in " The New Yorker": cquote|... Motor impulse is basic to Petipa’s exposition of movement flowing clean from its source. It flows from the simple to the complex, but we are always aware of its source, deep in the dancer’s back, and of its vibration as it carries in widening arcs around the auditorium. This is dancing to be felt as well as seen, and Petipa gives it a long time to creep under our skins. Like a patient drillmaster, he opens the piece with a single, two-phrase theme in adagio tempo ("arabesque cambré" "port de bras"), repeated over and over until all the dancers have filed onto the stage. Then, at the same tempo, with the dancers facing us in columns, he produces a set of mild variations, expanding the profile of the opening image from two dimensions to three. Positions are developed naturally through the body’s leverage - weight, counterweight. Diagonals are firmly expressed ... The choreography is considered to be the first expression of grand scale symphonism in dance, predating by seventeen years Ivanov’s masterly designs for the definitive "Swan Lake" ... The subject of "The Kingdom of the Shades" is not really death, although everybody in it except the hero is dead. It's Elysian bliss, and its setting is eternity. The long slow repeated-arabesque sequence creates the impression of a grand crescendo that seems to annihilate all time. No reason it could not go on forever ... Ballets passed down the generations like legends, acquire patina of ritualism, but "La Bayadère" is a ritual, a poem about dancing and memory and time. Each dance seems to add something new to the previous one, like a language being learned. The ballet grows heavy with this knowledge, which at the beginning had been only a primordial utterance, and in the coda it fairly bursts with articulate splendor.
Nureyev's version of "The Kingdom of the Shades" was also staged by
Eugen Valukinfor the National Ballet of Canada, premiering on March 27, 1967. The first full-length production of "La Bayadère" was staged by the Balletmistress Natalie Conusfor the Iranian National Ballet Companyin 1972, in a production based almost entirely on the 1941 Ponomarev/Chabukiani production for the Kirov Ballet. For this production Minkus' score was orchestrated from a piano reduction by Robin Barker.
Natalia Makarova's production
Natalia Makarovamounted "The Kingdom of the Shades" for American Ballet Theatrein New York City, being the first staging of any part of "La Bayadère" in the United States. In 1980 Makarova staged her own version of the full-length work for the company, based largely on the Ponomarev/Chabukiani version she danced during her career with the Kirov Ballet. Since only about 3/4 of Minkus' original, full-length score was available outside of Soviet Russia, John Lanchbery was called upon to compose the missing sections himself, all the while re-scoring the Minkus music.
Makarova made many changes in her version of "La Bayadère". Aside from the musical changes made to the first two scenes, Makarova did not deviate at all from the traditional choreography as performed at the Mariinsky Theatre, though she did omit Konstantin Sergeyev's "Pas de Deux for Nikiya and the Slave" and used the Pugni music for a dance for the "Corps de Ballet" in her new version of the last act. She shortened Act II by omitting the entire "Grand divertissement" (possibly because the music was not available outside of Russia at that time), with the exception of the "Valse des perroquets", which John Lanchbery re-scored in the style of a grand Viennese-style waltz, and which Makarova rechoreographed as an elaborate dance for the "Corps de Ballet". In light of the now shortened Act II, Makarova renamed the scene Act I-scene 3. Makarova chose to retain Zubkovsky's 1948 "Dance of the Golden Idol", which she renamed "The Bronze Idol", and transferred to the opening of her newly staged last act.
Due to the smaller stage of the
Metropolitan Opera Housein relation to that of the Mariinsky Theatre, Makarova was forced to reduce the number of the "Corps de Ballet" in the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" from thirty-two to twenty-four. She was also obliged to modify the poses' held by the Ballerinas while they stood on the sides of the stage during the variations, due to the differences in physique of western Ballerinas to that of Russian ones (Makarova changed the original position of tendu derrière effacé, with the leg held in tendu slightly bent - for which Russian Ballerinas are famous, with their arched back, torqued hyper-extended supporting legs, and severely arched feet - to tendu derrière croisé, while still holding the leg in tendu in a slightly bent position).
Makarova's biggest change however was her staging of the long lost last act, which she set to new music by John Lanchbery, since at that time Minkus' original score was still thought to be lost. Makarova in no way tried to re-create Petipa's original design, and instead completed the original scenario with choreography of her own. Following Makarova's example, many subsequent stagings of "La Bayadère" would include a version of the lost last act, among them,
Pyotr Gusev's version staged for the Sverdlovsk Balletin 1984.
Makarova's production premiered on
May 21, 1980at the Metropolitan Opera House, and was even shown live on PBSduring the "Live from Lincoln Center" broadcast. Makarova herself danced Nikiya, though she injured herself during Act I and was replaced by her under-study, the Ballerina Marianna Tcherkassky. The principal roles were danced by Ivan Nagyas Solor, Cynthia Harveyas Gamzatti, Alexander Minzas the High Brahmin, and Victor Barbeeas the Rajah. The décor was designed by Pier Luigi Samaritani, with costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge. Though the reaction to her choreography for the last act was rather mixed by critics, the premiere was a colossal triumph for American Ballet Theatre, who still retain the staging in their repertory today, and have recently lavished it with new sets and costumes.
In 1989, Makarova staged her version of "La Bayadère" for the
Royal Balletin a totally un-changed production, including copies of Samaritani's designs for the décor, and new costumes by Yolanda Sonnabend. In 1990 her production was filmed, and later shown on PBS in 1994 (and later released onto DVD/Video), with Altynai Asylmuratovaas Nikiya, Darcey Bussellas Gamzatti, and Irek Mukhamedovas Solor. Makarova has since staged her production for many companies throughout the world, including the Ballet of La Scala(who have recently filmed their production and released it onto to DVD), and the Royal Swedish Ballet. Makarova's productions of "La Bayadère" always include the Samaritani designs for the décor.
In recent times Lanchbery's adaptation of Minkus' music for "La Bayadère" (as well as his version of Minkus' "Don Quixote" and "
Paquita") has become rather controversial, with many in the world of ballet preferring to hear the score in its original form. The noted ballet critic and historian Clement Crispcommented in 1989 that Lanchbery's orchestrations for "La Bayadère" are "...gratuitous burblings".
In 1983 Lanchbery conducted the
Sydney Symphony Orchestrain a recording of his orchestration of Minkus's music for the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades". The recording also included extracts taken from the " Paquita Grand Pas Classique" and the "Paquita Pas de Trois". The recording was released by the label EMIonto LP and cassette.
In 1994 the conductor
Richard Bonyngerecorded Lanchbery's orchestration of Minkus' score for "La Bayadère" as prepared for American Ballet Theatre's 1980 production. The recording included an arrangement of the music for the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades" as utlized by Anna Pavlova's company in the 1910s. The recording was released on the label Decca Records.
Rudolf Nureyev's production
In late 1991,
Rudolf Nureyev, artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet, began making plans for a revival of the full-length "La Bayadère", to be derived from the traditional Ponomarev/Chabukiani version he danced during his career with the Kirov Ballet. Nureyev enlisted the assistance of his friend and colleague Ninel Kurgapkina, former "Prima Ballerina" of the Kirov Ballet, to assist in staging the work.
The administration of the
Paris Operaknew that this production of "La Bayadère" would be Nureyev's last offering to the world, as his health was deteriorating more and more from advanced HIVdisease. Because of this, the cultural administration of the Paris Opéragave the production an enormous budget, with even more funding coming from various private donations.
Nureyev wanted to use Minkus' score in its original orchestration, which was only available at that time in Russia. In spite of his poor health Nureyev made a speedy trip to St. Petersburg to make photocopies at the Kirov/Mariinsky Library of the original orchestral parts for "La Bayadère", though in his haste he accidentally copied only the bottom half of each page, which fortunately included the page numbers. He did not realize his mistake until he returned to Paris, and with the help of John Lanchbery, the score was reassembled and orchestrated as close to the original as possible. Because certain sections were not copied at all, Lanchbery was forced to compose a few transitional passages, but in the end, nearly all of the music was scored by Lanchbery in Minkus' style.
Nureyev called upon the Italian film designer
Enzio Frigerioto create the décor, and broadway designer Franca Squarciapinoto create the ballet's costumes. Frigerio took inspiration from the Taj Mahaland the architecture of the Ottoman Empire, as well as drawings of the original décor used for Petipa's 1877 production - Frigerio called his designs "a dream of the Orient through Eastern-European Eyes". Squarciapino's costume designs were inspired by ancient Persian and Indian paintings, with elaborate head-dresses and hats, colorful shimmering fabrics, and traditional Indian garb, with much of the materials coming from Parisian boutiques that imported directly from India.
Regarding the choreography, Nureyev left nearly all of the traditional Ponomarev/Chabukiani revisions intact, all the while retaining Zubkovsky's "Dance of the Golden Idol" in the Act II "Grand Divertissement" and Sergeyev's "Pas de Deux for Nikiya and the Slave" in Act I-Scene 2. Among Nureyev's revisions was a passage for the male "corps de ballet" in the opening of Act I-scene 2, as well as another passage in the "Valse évantails" from Act II. He re-ordered the variations of the Shades in Act III, putting the final variation first, and revised the choreography of the "Variation de Nikiya" (a.k.a. the "Scarf Duet") so that Solor also performs Nikiya's movements, a change he had originally included in his 1962 staging of the "The Kingdom of the Shades" for the Royal Ballet. In the documentary "Dancer's Dream: La Bayadere" it is said that Nureyev considered recreating the lost fourth act, á la Makarova's production, but ultimately decided to follow the Soviet tradition and end the ballet with the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades", saying that he preferred the "gentler" ending compared to the original ballet's rather violent conclusion.
Nureyev's production of "La Bayadère" was presented for the first time at the
Palais Garnier(or the Paris Opéra) on October 8, 1992with Isabelle Guérinas Nikiya, Laurent Hilaireas Solor, and Élisabeth Platelas Gamzatti (and was later filmed in 1994 and released onto DVD/video with the same cast). The theatre was filled with many of the most prominent people of the ballet world, along with throngs of newspaper and television reporters from around the world. The production was a resounding success, with Nureyev being honored with the prestigious Ordre des Arts et des Lettresfrom the French Minister of Culture. The premiere of Nureyev's production was a special occasion for many in the world of ballet, as only three months later he died.
The Danseur Laurent Hilaire later commented on Nureyev's revival: cquote|... the premiere of "La Bayadère" was more than a ballet for Rudolf and everybody around. This is the idea that I love about "La Bayadère" — that you have someone approaching death, who is dying, and instead of his death, he gives us this wonderful ballet.
The 1900 reconstruction
In 2000 the performance history of "La Bayadère" came full circle when the
Kirov/Mariinsky Balletbegan mounting a reconstruction of Petipa's 1900 revival.
In order to restore Petipa's original choreography,
Sergei Vikharev, the Balletmaster of the company in charge of staging the production, made use of the Stepanov Choreographic Notation from the Sergeyev Collection. The most anticipated passage of the work to be restored was the long deleted last act. This scene included the lost "Danse des fleurs de lotus" ("Dance of the Lotus Blossoms") and Petipa's original "Grand Pas d'action", which up to that point had been performed during the second act in the revised Ponomarev/Chabukiani choreography.
Among other restored passages were the "Danse des esclaves" from Act II, all of the original mime sequences, and Petipa's original choreography for the "Danse des prêtresses" from Act I-Scene 1. Although Natalia Dudinskaya's 1954 "Danse orientale" was deleted, Vikharev chose to retain Nikolai Zubkovsky's 1948 character dance "Bazhok" (or "Dance of the Golden Idol"), and though it was only included for the premiere, it was later reinstated due to popular demand.
For the majority of the 20th century Minkus's original score for "La Bayadère" was thought to have been lost. Unbeknownst to many, the
Mariinsky TheatreMusic Library had in their possession two volumes of Minkus's complete, hand-written score of 1877, as well as three manuscript rehearsal répétiteurs in arrangement for two violins, which included many notes for ballet masters and performers. Sergei Vikharev commented on the restoration of Minkus's score: cquote|... this is a return to the source. The true, original Minkus (score) was preserved in the theatre's archives. It was difficult to restore the score as the music had been split up. We basically had to check each hand-written page to determine the correct order, because the music had been moved around in the library so many times that if it had been reorganized once more it would have been impossible to find anything. We were fortunate in being able to restore Minkus's full score for this ballet.
The Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet's traditional 1941 Ponomareyev/Chabukiani production of "La Bayadère" utilized the 1900 set designs for Act I, Act II, and Act III-scene 1, designed by Orest Allegri, Adolf Kvapp and Konstantin Ivanov. However the 1941 production did not utilize the 1900 designs for "The Kingdom of the Shades" by Pyotr Lambin, and instead used a design by Mikhail Shishliannikov. For the reconstruction the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet restored Lambin's designs for the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades", as well as his designs for the last act from miniature models which had been preserved in the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. The scene of the destruction of the temple was restored using assemblage blueprints kept in the Russian State History Archives.
The 1900 costumes designed by
Yevgeny Ponomarevwere restored from the original sketches, which were kept in the St. Petersburg State Theatre Library. Technical descriptions of the costumes of "La Bayadère", housed in the Russian State History Archives, were used in the reconstruction of the costumes from the 1900 production. Where possible when selecting fabrics, the costume restoration team used those described in the archive documents. Since some of these fabrics are no longer produced today the Mariinsky Theatre's costume technicians, supervised by Tatiana Noginova, used similar materials, and strictly observed the principle of sewing by hand.
The Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet opened the 10th International
Stars of the White Nights Festivalwith their reconstruction of "La Bayadère" at the Mariinsky Theatre on May 30, 2001, with Daria Pavlenkoas Nikiya, Elvira Tarasovaas Gamzatti, and Igor Kolbas Solor. The reconstruction received a rather mixed reaction from the St. Petersburg audience, which was largely comprised with the most prominent persons of the Russian ballet. The celebrated Ballerina of the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet Altynai Asylmuratovawas seen weeping after the performance, allegedly because of her shock at seeing the ballet presented in its original form. When the company included the production on their 2003 tour, it caused a sensation around the world, particularly in New York and London. To date the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet only perform the reconstruction on special occasions.
Ekaterina Vazem on the first production of 'La Bayadère'
Here follows an account by
Ekaterina Vazem, soloist of His Imperial Majesty and Prima Ballerina of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, on the first production of "La Bayadère".
cquote|My next new part was that of the Bayadère Nikiya in "La Bayadère", produced by Petipa for my benefit performance at the beginning of 1877. Of all the ballets which I had the occasion to create, this was my favorite. I liked its beautiful, very theatrical scenario, its interesting, very lively dances in the most varied genres, and finally Minkus' music, which the composer managed especially well as regards melody and its coordination with the character of the scenes and dances. I associate with "La Bayadère" the recollection of a clash with Petipa at rehearsal ... We came to rehearsals for the last act. In it Solor is celebrating his wedding to the Princess Hamsatti, but their union is disrupted by the shade of the Bayadère Nikiya, murdered at the bride's wish so that she could not prevent them from marrying. Nikiya's intervention is expressed in the context of a "Grand Pas d'action" with Solor, Hamsatti, and soloists, among whom the Bayadère's shade suddenly appears, though visible only to her beloved Solor.
Petipa began to produce something absurd for my entrance as the shade, consisting of some delicate, busy little steps. Without a second thought I rejected the choreography, which was not with the music, nor did it match the general concept of the dance - for the entrance of Nikya's shade who is appearing amidst a wedding celebration, something more imposing was required than these minimally effective trifles which Petipa had thought up. Petipa was exasperated - in general the last act was not going well for him, and he wanted to finish the production of the ballet that day no matter what. He produced something else for me in haste, still less successful. Again I calmly told him that I would not dance it. At this he lost his head completely in a fit of temper: "I don' unnerstan what you need to danse?! Yew can't danse one, yew can' danse other! What kin' of talent are yew if yew can' danse noseeg?!" Without saying a word, I took my things and left rehearsal, which had to be cut short as a result.
The next day, as if nothing had happened, I again took up with Petipa the matter of my entrance in the last act. It was clear that his creative imagination had quite run dry. Hurrying with the completion of the production, he announced to me: "If yew can' danse sometheeg else, then do wha' Madame Gorshenkova does." Gorshenkova, who danced the princess Hamsatti, was distinguished by her extraordinary lightness, and her entrance consisted of a series of high grand jetés from the back of the stage to the footlights. By proposing that I dance her steps Petipa wanted to "needle" me: I was an "earthly" Ballerina, a specialist in complex, virtuoso dances, and in general did not possess the ability to "fly". But I did not back down. "Fine" I answered, "but for sake of variety I will do the same steps not from the last wing but from the first wing". This was much more difficult because it was impossible to take advantage of the incline of the stage (which was raked) to increase the effect of the jumps. Petipa responded "As yew weesh Madame, as yew weesh." I must add that at preparatory rehearsals I never danced, limiting myself to approximations of my dances (or "marking") even without being dressed in ballet slippers. Such was now the case - during this rehearsal I simply walked about the stage among the dancers.
The day came with the first rehearsal with the orchestra in the theatre. Here of course I had to dance. Petipa, as if wishing to relieve himself of any responsibility for my steps, said to the artists over and over again: "I don' know wha' Madame Vazem will danse, she never danse at reheasals." Waiting to make my entrance, I stood in the first wing, where a voice within me spurred me on to great deeds — I wanted to teach this conceited Frenchman a lesson and demonstrate to him clearly, right before his eyes "what a Talent I truly was". My entrance came, and at the first sounds of Minkus' music I strained every muscle, while my nerves tripled my strength — I literally flew across the stage, vaulting pass the heads of the other dancers who were kneeling there in groups, crossing the stage with just three jumps and stopping firmly as if rooted to the ground. The entire company, both on stage and in the audience, broke out into a storm of applause. Petipa, who was on stage, immediately satisfied himself that his treatment of me was unjust. He came up to me and said "Madame, forgive me, I am a fool."
That day word circulated about my "stunt". Everyone working in the theatre tried to get into the rehearsal of "La Bayadère" to see my jump. Of the premiere itself, nothing needs to be said. The reception given me from the public was magnificent. Besides the last act, we were all applauded for the scene "The Kingdom of the Shades", which Petipa handled very well. Here the grouping and dances were infused with true poetry. The Balletmaster borrowed drawings and groupings from
Gustave Doré's illustrations from Dante's " The Divine Comedy". I had great success in this scene in the "Danse du Voile" to Minkus' violin solo played by Leopold Auer. The roster of principals in "La Bayadère" was in all respects successful: Lev Ivanovas the warrior Solor, Nikolai Goltsas the High Brahmin, Christian Johanssonas the Rajah Dugmanta of Golconda, Maria Gorshenkovaas his daughter Hamsatti, and Pavel Gerdtin the classical dances - all contributed much to the success of "La Bayadère", as did the considerable efforts of the artists Wagner, Andreyev, Shishkov, Bocharov, and especially Roller (who designed the décor), with Roller distinguishing himself as the machinist of the masterful destruction of the temple at the end of the ballet.
*American Ballet Theatre. Program for Natalia Makarova's production of "La Bayadère". Metropolitan Opera House, 2000.
*Beaumont, Cyril. "Complete Book Of Ballets".
*Croce, Arlene. Review titled "Makarova's Miracle", written August 19, 1974, republished in "Writing in the Dark, Dancing in 'The New Yorker"' (2000) p. 57.
*Greskovic, Robert. "Ballet 101".
*Guest, Ivor. CD Liner Notes. Léon Minkus, arr. John Lanchbery. "La Bayadère". Richard Bonynge Cond. English Chamber Orchestra. Decca 436 917-2.
*Hall, Coryne. "Imperial Dancer: Mathilde Kschessinska and the Romanovs".
*Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. "Yearbook of the Imperial Theatres 1900-1901". St. Petersburg, Russian Empire. 1901.
*Kschessinskaya, Mathilde Felixovna (Princess Romanovsky-Krassinsky). "Dancing in St. Petersburg - The Memoirs of Kschessinska". Trans. Arnold Haskell.
*Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet. Souvenir program for the reconstruction of Petipa's 1900 revival of "La Bayadère". Mariinsky Theatre, 2001.
*Petipa, Marius. "The Diaries of Marius Petipa". Trans. and Ed. Lynn Garafola. Published in "Studies in Dance History." 3.1 (Spring 1992).
*Petipa, Marius. "Memuary Mariusa Petipa solista ego imperatorskogo velichestva i baletmeistera imperatorskikh teatrov" ("The Memoirs of Marius Petipa, Soloist of His Imperial Majesty and Ballet Master of the Imperial Theatres").
*Royal Ballet. Program for Natalia Makarova's production of "La Bayadère". Royal Opera House, 1990.
*Stegemann, Michael. CD Liner notes. Trans. Lionel Salter. Léon Minkus. "Paquita & La Bayadère." Boris Spassov Cond. Sofia National Opera Orchestra. Capriccio 10 544.
*Vazem, Ekaterina Ottovna. "Ekaterina Ottovna Vazem - Memoirs of a Ballerina of the St. Petersburg Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, 1867-1884". Trans. Roland John Wiley.
*Wiley, Roland John. "Dances from Russia: An Introduction to the Sergeyev Collection" Published in "The Harvard Library Bulletin," 24.
1 January 1976.
*Wiley, Roland John, ed. and translator. "A Century of Russian Ballet: Documents and Eyewitness Accounts 1810-1910".
*Wiley, Roland John. "Tchaikovsky's Ballets".
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.


Partida returns for women, Vega shines for men
REDLANDS, Calif. - Senior Darlene Partida made her 2009 debut on Saturday morning at the Bulldog Invitational with a 28th place finish to help the Poets to a sixth place finish as a team. The men had just one runner compete as Jordan Vega finished 63rd-out-of 130 runners.
Vega ran the 6K course in 21:34 with an average mile of 5:47.
On the women's side there were 106 runners as six of Whittier's seven runners finished in the top 50 percent of the race.
Partida ran a strong 19:27 with an average mile of 6:58 but was outdone by a freshman Guadalupe Ulloa who was the Poets' top finishers. Ulloa placed 21st in a time of 18:56 with a 6:47 average on her mile.
Sophomore Susie Orona (36th place) was just 34 seconds behind Partida with a 20:01 while junior Jessica Mena and freshman Evelyn Cruz rounded out the Whittier top five.
Mena ran a 20:16 and finished 43rd while Cruz clocked in at 20:53 in 47th place.
Sophomore Michele Callaway did not compete for Whittier.
The Poets return to action next Saturday at 9 am as they take part in the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle, Wash.


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Students have arrived back at the Academy this week with a fantastic mindset.
They have been so positive and clearly pleased to be back and among their friends. Staff are delighted to be back teaching face-to-face.
It has been great to see everybody enjoying people’s company, something many have not experienced since the turn of the year.
A well-being and recovery curriculum has been operating this week to ease the students back into formal learning.
It has been a chance to reset and for them to share experiences over lockdown. While there have been formal lessons each day, we think this has been important. Attendance has been excellent.
Our testing of students and staff has gone well.
Unfortunately, a Year 10 tested positive today which has meant close contacts self-isolating and needing to learn from home.
It shows the procedures we have put in place are working and, as time goes on, students and families will be reassured about the testing process.
I would like to give a huge ‘thank you’ to the testing team.
They have done a fantastic job in terms of the numbers being tested and the way it has been coordinated and delivered. It is all calm and orderly.
After Easter, we are hoping the local and national picture continues to look positive and we can provide the clubs and after-school activities we are so proud to offer our students.
It is something for everybody to look forward to.
There is still some uncertainty about Year 11 grading. As soon as we know, we will communicate with parents.
What is certain is their time in school is limited and they need to make the best of it.
We will certainly be working hard as a staff to ensure they are prepared for their next steps in education.
As always, please stay safe and well.

domain: news


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What is SHiFT?
SHiFT is an open community of makers, connectors designers and creators. Come join the campfire conversations!
Each day, the events, workshops, and discussions will focus on an aspect of the design process. Topics like community, reflection, craft and grit are explored through community challenges.
Bring your tent or hammock and a sleeping bag. If you don’t have a tent or are flying to the event, we do have some tents available. Let us know ahead of time if you would like to reserve one.
With over 3000 acres to explore, you will be able to enjoy long walks and talks through the woods with all your new friends. And we’re sure your phone won’t be able to interrupt it right at the best part.


Phosphorylated Cellulose Nanofibrils : A Nano-Tool for Preparing Cellulose-Based Flame-Retardant Materials
Abstract: The growing awareness of the need for a circular society and a circular chemistry has spurred the interest in using wood-based cellulose as a raw material for the preparation of new macroscopic devices and construction materials. The interest has been particularly focused on cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), which has led to the development of new material concepts through a nanoscale bottom-up engineering using renewable CNF. In order to be industrially applicable, the CNF must however possess a set of properties among which good flame-retardation is crucial. This thesis presents a) a way to chemically modify delignified wood fibers by phosphorylation to produce phosphorylated CNF, b) the fabrication and characterization of flame-retardant thin films, coatings and nanocomposite foams from the phosphorylated fibrils and c) the flame-retardant mechanisms of the phosphorylated CNF-based substances.Chemically delignified fibers have been phosphorylated by (NH4)2HPO4 in the presence of urea, and the resulting material has been used to prepare phosphorylated CNF (P-CNF). The flame-retardant properties of the phosphorylated fibrils were significantly improved by the phosphorus functionalization of the cellulose chain, converting the fibrils to an inherently flame-retardant material. The P-CNF was applied to make thin films/coatings using the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) technique. All-cellulose free-standing films were prepared through LbL self-assembly of the P-CNF and fibrils prepared from aminated cellulose-rich fibers (cationic CNF). The LbL-assembled film showed a high thermal stability, excellent flame resistance and superior mechanical performance. P-CNF/chitosan (CH) assemblies were also prepared as a fire protection for polyurethane (PU) foams. The five bilayer CH/P-CNF coating yielded a nano-exoskeleton on the surface of PU foam, shown to be capable of increasing the modulus of the foam by a factor of three and entirely preventing its melt dripping during the flammability testing.P-CNF/montmorillonite (MMT), sepiolite (Sep) clay or sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) films were also fabricated by vacuum filtration/solvent casting of the composite suspensions, and the structural and compositional features of these different films were used to study the mechanisms behind their flame-retardant properties. Only the P-CNF/MMT films were able to completely prevent ignition during cone calorimetry, when used as coatings for highly flammable polyethylene (PE) films and this was mainly ascribed to the excellent barrier properties of these films. The results also showed that the excellent strength and stiffness of the P-CNF/MMT samples, compared to those of the P-CNF/Sep and P-CNF/SHMP films, were essential for maintaining the barrier effect during combustion. Finally, nanostructured foams were prepared by freeze-casting of the P-CNF/Sep suspensions. The foams showed extensive flame-resistance, maintaining a temperature drop of more than 600 °C across the thickness during the flame penetration test. This performance was related mainly to the charring capability of the phosphorylated fibrils combined with the significant thermal insulation of Sep clay.
This dissertation MIGHT be available in PDF-format. Check this page to see if it is available for download.


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There are some things that can really make it difficult to ride mountain bikes when you're little. Riding downhill doesn't necessarily solve those problems or make it any easier. In this post, we'll take a look at a couple of challenges we found good solutions for:
- The crank arm length is too long (for their little legs) and as a result the rider bounces up and down while pedaling.
- The handlebar is too high (above their center of mass) and the rider can't shift weight to the front wheel when needed.
There are solutions, and good ideas are most likely going to be found via your own research like reading this blog. So unless you're already a Canfield Brothers fan and know where this story goes - keep on reading! This post may help point you towards a couple interesting options.
Solving these problems is challenging. There are limited options for some types components, and the many variables in frame and fork specifications make determining compatibility quite an effort. The market for niche components is relatively small (no pun intended), and the big names out there (i.e. SRAM, Shimano, etc.) just aren't interested in producing small quantities of anything. In comes Canfield Brothers with the solutions you need. Let me quickly state a couple things: 1) I'm not sponsored by them and 2) I am not a dealer. That's not what I'm after. I'm just trying to get the word out that there are components that put the finishing touches on a kid's downhill bike and can elevate their riding.
First, let's talk about the cranks arms. Most DH bikes come standard with 165mm cranks, and for the most part all riders regardless of their height use that length. This probably works for the majority of riders in the 'normal' height range of 5'6" to 6'0". On the high end of that spectrum, taller riders don't go for longer cranks because the 165mm length is about as long as you can go and still have enough clearance while pedaling a low, slack DH bike. The problem is that this is too long for the little riders on DH bikes. For any of you that have spent time following a little shredder down a mountain you'll know it takes an exaggerated amount of body movement for them to get the cranks spinning. That's a problem.
As a bike 'builder' for youth downhill racers, I've been as thorough as possible in the search for all the right components for a smaller rider. But it wasn't until 2014 that I could find a cransket with arms shorter than 165mm - this is when Canfield Brothers put their AM/DH Crankset on the market. I put the 155m cranks on an XS Demo for a rider that was 4'8" and it accomplished a couple things.
- The rider pedal with substantially less 'po-go' sticking around
- The rider could pedal more in rock gardens with the additional clearance.
Both of these improvements are very important for smaller, lighter riders that don't have the weight to overcome mistakes they make - especially in the rocks.
The next component I'll discuss is the Canfield Brothers direct mount stem with a 50mm reach, and -20mm (drop). This stem weighs in around 160 grams and fits the Boxxer bolt pattern. The bad news first: I'm not sure if you can get them anymore, you'll have to call. The good news: these stems may be out of 'style' lately as full-sized riders seem to be jacking their bars up as high as ever with stems instead of old school riser bars. So with a bit of luck you may be able to find one on the used market. Give the guys at Canfield Brothers a call and beg them for a rerun on the stems, or try the usual places a try (Pinkbike, Ebay, etc.) and see what you can find. This stem does exactly what a rider that is 4'6" to 5"4" needs. It is solid as a rock and very nicely made. This one pictured below was on a bike for 3 years.
I hope this helps you get your little shredder's ride tuned just right! Take care - in upcoming posts we'll talk about brakes and keep things real for the little guys.

domain: hobby


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Trainer Ron Quinton doesn't have the horse numbers to compete with Sydney's biggest stables.
But in Daysee Doom and Dixie Blossoms he has the perfect advertisement for his talents as a horseman.
“They've been the backbone of the joint for the last three seasons,” Quinton said.
“Daysee has won over $1 million and Dixie's not far off it. Along with (sprinter) Boss Lane they're the stalwarts of the stable.”
She was narrowly beaten by her stablemate in the corresponding race last year before reversing the placings a start later in the Angst Stakes.
“She was fantastic. If she didn't get that hefty bump on the turn I believe she would have won,” Quinton said.
Dixie Blossoms drops back to fillies and mares grade in the Golden Pendant while Coolmore Classic winner Daysee Doom heads to the race two weeks after finishing midfield on a heavy track in the Sheraco Stakes.
Trainer Kris Lees could find no reason not to run Princess Posh and said the mare had thrived despite a lengthy campaign that began in March.
“She's had a lot of racing but she's handled the Tibbie win really well. She's nice and bright and there's not a lot of options around for her so it was an obvious choice,” Lees said.

domain: sports