FURTHER ADVENTURES WITH THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET (Chapter 18)

        I concluded my previous blog chapter with my departure from the NYCB, and now need to backtrack to tell a few more stories (not in any specific order).  
         This one begins on a certain day that my mother was due to arrive for a visit to attend my upcoming Alice Tully Hall Recital.  Her visits always made me a bit nervous for some reason, and this one was no exception.  I left my apartment in a hurry, wearing heeled boots, as the weather was cold and rainy.  I played class, and then started my first rehearsal with Rosemary....and then suddenly remembered I had left my stove on, as I had been boiling some eggs.  OOPS!!  That could be a disaster, so I asked Rosie if I could be excused immediately to go home (nearby) and turn off the stove I had left on.  She very kindly excused me, and I ran home (even with the boots).  Returning to the theater some 15 minutes later (wasn't that fast?), I entered the Main Hall to continue my rehearsal.  It was on the 5th floor, and the Music Room was on the floor beneath (4th); for the next rehearsal I needed another piece of music. So I ran down the stairs to retrieve the music, and then running up the stairs again, I fell flat on my face.  In doing so, I broke the heel off one boot, which made walking a bit difficult.  But I limped into the Main Hall again, explained to Rosemary what had happened, and sat down at the piano.  WELL!!!  This day was not beginning well at all, and I was trying to think of a way I could skip the rest of my schedule and go home!  
         My next rehearsal was on stage with Mr. Balanchine.....SERENADE....which, at that time, I did not know well at all.  (So I was a bit nervous, and would have preferred to NOT play that rehearsal.)  And wouldn't you know, that while walking to the elevator, I tripped yet again and broke the heel off my other boot!  Lordy!  I had no choice but to take both boots OFF and walk to the stage in my stockings!  (When I think back to that time, am wondering if all that tripping and falling had something to do with my present condition of HYDROCEPHALUS....as apparently that started very long ago.)  I did have the marked score with me, but it was somewhat sparsely done.   There were several girls in the rehearsal with whom I was friendly by now, and they all laughed when they saw me trudge to the piano in my socks!  Mr. Balanchine just looked at me, saying: "How is my 'Chilgren' today?" Oh boy!  He thought that remark was SO witty, and apparently the girls did also.  Everyone erupted in laughter, except me.  I just sat down and opened the score.  We began the rehearsal which went fine until Mr. B. stopped to make a correction.  Then he said, "take it from the------".  Only problem: I did NOT know where that was.  He had gone back a bit, and as I previously said, I did not know the ballet well at all.  My blank look told the story....and the girls again laughed!  Somehow they found this all very entertaining!  Mr. B. came over to the piano, looked at the score, and then pointed to a specific measure, and said, "here...deeeer.  This is where we are."  So I hurriedly wrote down the dance step for that bar (which was the start of a certain section of the ballet).  There had been NO mark there....(this is what I meant by 'sparsely' marked).  This happened a few more times, and that was how I learned SERENADE....from Mr. B himself.  (He always knew where HE was in the music).  I have to say that even though I was somewhat embarrassed, he just said, "it's ok deeeer.  I know you are learning."  Thank goodness!  One of the girls came over and told me, "he likes you...otherwise he would not be this patient."  I thought to myself....'be thankful for small favors.' (although 'small' was not the appropriate word).  I don't think I would have been able to stay there if the situation had been otherwise.  As I said before, the major challenge in any rehearsal is to know WHERE the dancers are at any given point.....and where the starting places are.   Which means one has to play the music, watch them,  remember the steps they are doing, and then mark the score.  Often I attended rehearsals I wasn't playing to watch and mark my score.  I made a point of learning those ballets, one by one.   The most difficult music to play were the STRAVINSKY scores.  Especially AGON, and FIREBIRD to which I had been introduced in my audition.   These scores are called 'piano reductions'....but one has to make an arrangement of the reduction as most are not playable as written.   (Something the dancers didn't know, of course).  Certain reductions were made by Mr. Balanchine, himself, such as the String Symphony in the second act of MIDSUMMER, and DIVERTIMENTO No. 15.  Manuscript is often difficult to decipher, and Mr. B's was no exception.  He always included TOO many notes, so that one again had to make an arrangement of the arrangement!  But I love that these reductions of his are still around and used.  They are HISTORICAL!  [I have made quite a few piano reductions of various works for PNB.  And I always try to make them as playable as possible.  (The most difficult reduction I ever did was for a brand new work which I had never heard before....and I only had the complete orchestral score (again handwritten).  This was for a ballet that Kent Stowell was going to choreograph.  Now that was a task!  I believe the composer had made the orchestral score, but he should have been required to ALSO do a piano reduction, since someone would have to play it.  But the people in charge (Kent, and the Business Manager) had not thought of that.]  
        To continue:  That wasn't the end of the day, not yet.  I had one more rehearsal upstairs in the Main Hall.....with Gelsey Kirkland and Helgi Thomasson...in THEME AND VARIATIONS (Tchaikovsky....from Suite 3).  Much to my surprise, the grand piano had been removed from the studio, and in its place was a little spinet piano.  This was not a permanent situation...just temporary.  It was in the middle of the room, just exactly where it should not have been.  I began to push the piano to the side of the rehearsal room, and wouldn't you know, one of the wheels caught on a wrinkle in the linoleum.  And the piano tipped OVER!!!  The three of us stood there, watching in horror!  It landed with a terrific noise....and I thought that it might have been broken!  Apparently the people on the floor below thought a small plane had landed on the 5th floor....it was SO loud!!!    As I recall, Barbara, Carole, and Pat came rushing into the rehearsal studio, and when they saw the piano on its back, well...you can imagine!   I called down to the stage, to request the assistance of at least 3 able-bodied men to come to the Main Hall, and right the piano.  When I explained the problem, I heard riotous laughter over the phone.   Hmm.  Not helpful, thought I.  However, three men did arrive, and laughing all the while, put the piano upright.  Fortunately, it still worked!   But that was the very last time I moved a piano, and for the next several months, I endured merciless teasing about this incident.  When I would come on stage, where there WAS a small piano for stage rehearsals (unfortunately), the guys would whistle and say "here SHE comes...our Piano Mover!"  The next morning when I entered the Main Hall for Mr. B's class, there he was standing by that horrid little piano!   He bowed low...saying:  "here you are, deeer....YOUR Piano!"   Then the class applauded me....(how embarrassing THAT was.)  This story was circulated, and if you can imagine, was reported in the New York Times....under 'Human Interest Stories in the Arts.'  I was mortified, but what could I do.  To this day, I don't have any idea who reported that bit of news.  It was picked up by the Spokesman Review in Spokane, WA, where my mother lived.  And from then on, whenever I played in Spokane, that story was dredged up from the archives....naturally!  
       At last my day concluded....one I shall never forget!   I was only too happy to be going home for the evening.  I did have to take a cab, as I couldn't walk home in those heelless boots!  But no matter, I was FINISHED for the day!!!