Haglund's Heel

Saturday morning rambling

According to Google Analytics, which are far from perfect, the only state in the union never to have visited Haglund's Heel is North Dakota.  What gives?  Haglund has driven across North Dakota several times and can attest to the beauty of the state and the efficiency of its interstate system.  He's never made a joke about Fargo or the associated charming accent.  He will always respect and admire the moose.

 

Haglund recognizes that North Dakota has a few issues that perhaps it should focus on more than reading this blog.  Why, just yesterday he read a survey in the April issue of Vanity Fair which suggested that a lot of people in the U.S., Democrats and Republicans alike, think it would be a good idea to combine the two Dakotas into one state.  Can you imagine?  The single name "Dakota" sure does have more sex appeal and impact than "North Dakota" or "South Dakota."  Just listen:  "Where'ya from?" "Dakota."  or "Where'ya from?"  "North Dakota."   Why didn't anyone think of combining these states before?

 

The reported results of the VF survey were a little sketchy and they were definitely pitched more toward entertainment than substantive analysis; so it was with some relief that Haglund fanned back a few pages (pp. 69-70) to see a couple of pictures of some real life serious pitching with The Great Mariano Rivera decked out in a Canali collection that will be flying off the racks in all stores everywhere by noon tomorrow.  Holy moly, what an impossibly handsome guy, and does he ever relate to the camera with that smile.  If those pictures don't start the whole city's Yankee Hormones raging for the season, nothing will.  The size of his right paw makes the baseball look like a ping pong ball.  

 

Turn the page and there's another set of impressive paws – those of Mikhail Baryshnikov in the Louis Vuitton ad with Annie Leibovitz.  Misha stands atop a pair of bear paws that are less than pretty but they support an easy, elegant posture that brings back so many wonderful memories.   The ad directs the viewer to louisvuittonjourneys.com where there is a brief sit down discussion between Misha and Annie about dance photography, aging, and choreo-graphic collaboration.  "I really hate dance photography," he says.  Go watch.

Come to Haglund, North Dakota.  Here's a link to the famous moose ballet video, Dance at the Sprinkler.  The Corps de Meese is pretty young, but shows great spirit and promise.

Baryshnikov @ Barnes and Noble 3/10

 

The good news is that Misha's new book Merce My Way sold out tonight at Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Center where he spoke and was interviewed by Joan Acocella.

 

The bad news is that Misha smiled way too much for Joan's liking and she had to straighten him up with a few glowering glances that would have made Madame Periaslavic proud.

 

Even though the event was advertised as Acocella interviewing Baryshnikov, there was very little interviewing going on.  Misha spoke about whatever came to mind – touching on his new BAC facility to his decision to leave ABT to his acting to why he chose to photograph Merce Cunningham's company to his upcoming performance schedule. 

 

The turnout for  the event was impressive.  The event enclosure was stuffed with bookbuyers and the line for non-bookbuyers who wanted to hear Misha speak snaked through the bible book section and way past the men's restroom on the 3rd floor of Barnes and Noble.  It spilled over to the fourth floor cafe where people crowded around two television monitors that broadcast the event on the floor below.  Listeners hung on his every word.  This was not Kissinger or Greenspan or the Dalai Lama or Sean John Puffy.  It was Baryshnikov.  Interestingly enough, he has a following of people who genuinely want to hear him speak about his life.  Well, it is an interesting life, isn't it?  He's gone off in a lot of different directions quietly and modestly making a lasting impact on whatever he chooses to do.

 

Yes, listeners hung on every word.  Haglund hoped to hear Misha say how much he still loved and missed Giselle and how sorry he was for betraying her, and above all, that his soul has never stopped aching for her.  Perhaps that will be another interview – later in life.