Washington Ballet's Italian Faux Pas De Deux

As for the late date of the notification, Palmquist said that "as soon as we had reached impasse, we informed the Italian presenters." Said Washington Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre, "I'm saddened we won't be performing in these great cities -- it would have been an artistic high for the company, and I certainly regret any difficulties the Italian presenters may be experiencing because of an inability to tour there this summer."

Those presenters are now the ones bearing the greatest costs for the cancellation. But U.S. diplomats said there is a cost beyond money for the ballet's decision. William McIlhenny, the consul general in Florence, said such tours can help improve European impressions of the United States. The cancellation is a blow to that effort.

"There is a growing perception in Europe and the United States that our societies and cultures are going off in different directions," he said. "Artistic performances are subtle reminders that we speak the same idiom. They are a reality check on the more polarizing attitudes brought on by political differences.

"I'm bummed out."

The U.S. Embassy in Rome and the consulate in Florence were eager to provide financial support to the tour -- at least $10,000, said Mark Smith, the embassy's cultural attache. "Basically, the whole thing is a disappointment," Smith said.

Ferrone and his wife, Marga Nativo, a former ballerina, founded the Florence festival in 1990. Nativo placed the abrupt cancellation in the context of America's image in Italy.

In the past few years, an impression of U.S. arrogance has grown in the country after a pair of deadly actions by U.S. military personnel. In 1998, a Marine jet flying well below normal altitude cut the cables of a ski gondola at Mount Cermis in northern Italy, killing 20 people. The pilot was absolved of manslaughter charges but received six months in jail for destroying a videotape of the incident. In March, U.S. troops in Baghdad shot and killed an Italian intelligence agent who was escorting a freed Italian hostage to the airport. The Pentagon absolved the soldiers of any error.

Nativo suggested that passion seems to be missing from the Washington Ballet's thought processes. "I think if the situation was reversed, we would have died before canceling a tour like this," she said.

Ferrone said that two days before receiving word about the cancellation, he had been in contact with Webre to discuss the dances to be performed. Webre had told him that there were problems and that meetings were going on. "I assumed it was nothing real bad," Ferrone said, "but we never did get around to talking about the art program."

The festival had set aside $50,000 to $65,000 for the appearance.

Despite the Washington Ballet's pullout in 2004, the Florence, Rome and Civitanova Marche organizers were keenly interested in getting the troupe to come this year, and they say they worked for the better part of a year to organize it. Even after this year's debacle, Ferrone said he is willing to try again.

Not so Rome.