This is a tale of a chance encounter with Mr. Balanchine in an elevator at the State Theater. It began with the door opening on the Stage Level, where I was waiting for it. Mr. B was already in the elevator and did not get out, saying he was going up to his office on the 4th floor. Which is where I was headed as well. So I got in the elevator....there was a pause, and then he asked me how I was.....to which I answered that I was very well. THEN he made an unusual remark...."deeer, I could get you Very Nice Piano." Hmm. Well, where did that come from, I wondered? And I answered that I HAD a very nice piano, to which he then added..."Very nice Steinway"...Oh...thought I, this is getting interesting. And I said, "well, Mr. Balanchine, I have a very good Steinway." Undaunted, he said, "well, I can get you better and newer one, then you will have two!" I didn't want to say that my apartment wouldn't be large enough to accommodate two Steinway pianos, lest he might mention that he could get me a large condo! So I said nothing. He then said, "you know, deeer, I like pianists also...not only dancers." By now this was getting just a tad uncomfortable, and I was wishing the elevator would move faster! But as luck would have it, the darn thing stopped on every floor. But at least more people got on, precluding the need for further conversation with Mr. B. I stood there (very uncomfortable, I might add) and told him I had a rehearsal for which I was a bit unprepared and needed to run through the score beforehand. I am sure he was amused at my discomfiture (I was NOT amused, of course). However, he never again made such an obvious overture, at least not in NYC. No, he waited until Zurich (a few years later!) He changed his tactic, and asked Pat to speak to me on his behalf! Oh Great!!! She did speak to me (in a rehearsal one day)...and I asked her to please pass a message that I was 'involved' with a cellist, and therefore not available. (That was true.) But....he had something else up his sleeve. Sneaky man! During his visit, I had a rehearsal one evening with my cellist friend (for some upcoming concerts). Pat phoned me there (at Mr. B's request, she said) to invite me to dinner at her house (where he was cooking). She said he was adamant that I must come as he wanted to speak to me about a new ballet... DAVIDSBUNDLER TANZEN, which he had just finished choreographing. Of course, I could not say no....one just didn't do that. When I told my cellist friend, Christian, that I needed to leave, he was very puzzled (and a bit annoyed). He didn't understand that any of us would just drop everything when Mr. B requested our presence. No...most people didn't understand that...(but they didn't work for the man, either.) So I just said that I was very sorry to leave, but we would have to re-schedule our rehearsal. And I left! That was how it was with Mr. B....he had the power. The conclusion of this story is that I remained good friends with him until the end of his life, and went out to dinner with him several times in Zurich....but that other subject never came up again. THANK GOODNESS!. When he was very ill I visited him in hospital in New York City (I had traveled there to play for the Basel Ballet)...and he was still lucid and talkative. I returned to Zurich for a very short time, to rehearse the company for a tour to Washington D.C. with Rudi Nureyev. The night before we left for America, I had a very clear dream that Mr. Balanchine had passed away....and awoke crying. I told my roommate, Christine Redpath about my dream...and indeed when we deplaned in NYC, learned of his passing. I have had many such dreams....(one about Michael Jackson as well.) I have no idea from whence or why these dreams occur. But they do.
This next story involves a LIEBESLIEDER WALZER performance at the State Theater (as it was called then) in NYC. Now I always left my apartment early enough to travel to the theater in plenty of time to get dressed, warm up, and generally be ready for the performance. This particular evening was no exception. At that time I lived on 109th Street and Broadway, so left even earlier. When I got to the street, saw that the traffic was NOT moving...and the bus I normally took, was just stopped. A real traffic jam! I ran to the nearest subway tunnel, and found the same situation...the trains were going nowhere! So ran back up the stairs, into the street, and flagged down a motorist who was stopped at a light (he looked like a nice guy). and begged him to take me to the NY State Theater backstage entrance. (He knew where it was.) I offered him money for this, but he refused....saying this was a unique opportunity for him to drive the NYCB piano soloist to her performance! He was into it! He did some fancy maneuvering and by a miracle, I arrived at the theater five (5) minutes before the performance was supposed to start. After promising my chauffeur tickets to a performance, and expressing my profuse thanks, I ran into the theater and up one flight of stairs, to the Stage Level (never mind the slow elevator). Mme. Pourmel was waiting for me with my Liebeslieder gown....bless her heart! The dress was put on me, my hair was done by two people, then make-up applied, and voila! I was ready! I picked up my music (thank goodness I hadn't left it in that car!) and walked onto the stage to the piano, where Robert was already seated. The dancers were in place....they were all waiting for me!! Robert said in his best British accent, "dear, where HAHVE you been?" Breathless, I said nothing, sat down, put the music on the piano, and at that very moment the curtain WENT UP.....so we started our introduction to the first waltz! AND not even a minute late! Mr. B was in his customary position in the wings...by the piano....and just said to me "Good to see you here, deeeer!" His little joke, of course!
I really enjoyed reading this!
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