Dear Mike, I always loved Sequin and the Montreal Orchestra's videos but this new Circus is a whole different animal. Might we be dealing with who owns the Intellectual Capital here? I would say the Canadians do but the only way you would know about who was the Intellectual Capital would be to go back and eliminate the Soviets and see if anything came of it. I suspect, in this case, that they were the catalyst and they were developed by the Communist State system of Circuses.
But it makes sense for us to claim all of those Russian dancers, skaters, opera singers and conductors since they are immigrants and have been naturalized but they were neither trained by us nor do they have our culture or aesthetic. Before we are through we will be singing Tchiakovski rather than Vaughn Williams and listening to Prokofiev at the Met. What? We already are? The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming! Oh well, its just one more group to teach to grow corn and get through the winter. Ray ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Gurstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Ray Evans Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Futurework@Scribe. Uwaterloo. Ca <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 7:48 PM Subject: RE: Even nationalised circuses! (Re: Loss of the middle class) > > Hi Ray, > > I have it from an uncontrovertible source (an Air Canada in-flight mag of > about 5 years ago) that it started from an employment support program grant > given to a group of Quebec street performers (buskers). I understand that > at some point the principle met someone from the Russian Circus and that was > the beginning of their professionalization. > > But I would guess there are people on the list who know much more about this > than I. > > M > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ray Evans Harrell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: February 25, 2002 5:35 PM > To: Michael Gurstein; Futurework@Scribe. Uwaterloo. Ca > Subject: Re: Even nationalised circuses! (Re: Loss of the middle class) > > > Hi Mike, > I would never cross a Canadian on this. I was told at the audition that > the two people who started the troupe were Russian. Is that incorrect? > There also were a lot of Russian and Ukranian performers auditioning at the > time. And a very large percentage of the Big Apple Circus performers came > from the old Soviet System as well. Although there was goodly number > from Mexico, and the contortionists are trained in the State System in > China. It seemed indicative of what China is doing to exist in this > world. If I see one more goose stepping military tape from China and > North Korea again I will vomit. It reminds me of the fat Russian women > propaganda tape they used to show before the Soviet System changed. Now I > go to parties with the most beautiful women you could imagine with some > wearing costumes that show that they were not raised with the kind of guilt > that we in the West are accustomed to. > > All that aside, Montreal and Canada deserves credit for supporting and > nurturing such a wonderful world class troupe. We let Martha Graham's > company die here when she was trying to get some kind of national > designation for this major American contribution to world dance. It has > been heartbreaking to see Graham's body of work as well as the educational > system slowly disappear. Well some Capitalist had a bargain on the school > and built a new building on the site. The Muse Tree in the garden was cut > down. In the end the world will forget him and remember that we didn't > care. The Canadians are way ahead of us on so much of this. Only in > NYCity is America represented well with Lincoln Center and the cultural > jewels. NY has so many museums that a mayor not long ago, let two major > ones leave the city. Of course one was the Heye Foundation Museum of the > American Indian. It went to Washington and became the National Museum of > the American Indian at the Smithsonian. > > Oh yes, the middle class. Well, that article is old news for all but the > politicians. It was beginning to change in the decade of the 1990s but it > never quite got there. The middle class is docile and frightened. It > will take a lot more before they become radicalized enough to do anything > about it. But when they do, remember the anger at 9/11. There is a > latent streak of violence in America that I don't believe most people > understand. It is not smart to poke a sleaping Jaguar. > > Ray > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Michael Gurstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Ray Evans Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Futurework@Scribe. Uwaterloo. Ca > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 4:46 PM > Subject: RE: Even nationalised circuses! (Re: Loss of the middle class) > > > > > > A minor correction...in fact but not in theory...Le Cirque began, I > believe, > > with some grant funds from the Canadian Government to a group of Quebecois > > street performers. > > > > MG > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Ray Evans > > Harrell > > Sent: February 25, 2002 4:24 PM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Keith Hudson > > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: Even nationalised circuses! (Re: Loss of the middle class) > > > > > > > > Keith > > > Although at the opposite ends of the political spectrum in name until > > > recently, both Argentina and Soviet Russia had the distinction of having > > > nationalised circuses! > > > > > > > > > Yes that is the reason you have the Cirque du Soleil. They were trained > in > > the state system of the old Soviet Union. They know an empty field when > > they see one and they have the skills to develop and that is what the > > difference is. The East trained people and the West consumed. Now > > there is a problem for the West. They don't know how to do and they will > > not have the money to consume so we will find that the Cold War is still > on > > and they won it by declaring defeat and taking over our own systems. > > > > Brilliant! (with a cynical snear) > > > > Ray Evans Harrell, artistic director > > The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble, Inc. > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > >
