January 25, 2008

Fantasies and Ballets

To the Editor:

Although I am hardly an expert on ballet, I enjoyed Martha Ullman West's "Orientalism in Ballet" (The Chronicle Review, December 14). But I had to wonder whether she is entirely serious. After all, she seems to be criticizing what are essentially fairy tales and fantasies for not being politically or ethnographically correct. She also relies rather heavily on Edward Said's notion of Orientalism, which is by no means gospel truth.

What will West's next project