A Luxury Seldom Sampled

For whom does Lewis Segal think he’s writing in “Dancing the Role Tonight Will Be ... “ (Oct. 14)? New Yorkers?

We dance lovers in Los Angeles rarely, if ever, get the luxury of several performances and casts from which to choose, selecting a cast strictly from personal tastes.

In his promotion of Matthew Bourne’s “The Car Man,” Segal went on and on about the possibilities different casting makes for the audience. But when was the last time L.A. balletomanes had a choice between international superstar or burgeoning coryphee in leading roles before purchasing their tickets? Oh golly, was it Matthew Bourne’s “Cinderella”? Or maybe it was Bourne’s inventive “Swan Lake” so many years ago.

Instead we get a weekend at the Wiltern with the incredible Netherlands Dance Theater and a couple of nights with the wondrous Miami City Ballet at UCLA’s Royce Hall. We are just thankful to have an excellent ballet company in town, and drop everything to rush over and grab a performance.

It’s all well and good that for ABT’s coming run of “Nutcracker” at the sparkling new Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, casts are published and we can buy our tickets accordingly. But when have we seen these people dance in L.A.? How are we supposed to know who’s who? Being on the fringe of classical dance for so long in this town, why will anyone but the oldest and most faithful care?

CHERIE MAGNUS

Los Feliz