119 replies to this topic

[Amy Reusch]

Moses Supposes Morphoses is Wrong?


It's great he's getting his own company together.  It must help the choreographer's muse to have his own company.  (I imagine he'll still be available for commissions from the larger institutional companies).  I wish him all luck in keeping his time mostly free from the business side of the venture... hopefully Lourdes Lopez will manage to make that work for him.  I have often heard good things about her.  Just possibly Christopher Wheeldon has lucked out.

[carbro]

Amy Reusch, on Jan 4 2007, 11:56 PM, said:

Moses Supposes Morphoses is Wrong?

. . . supposes Morphoses erroneously!

[papeetepatrick]

if he gets more than just one, it can be Morphoses a Wheeldon Company like AOL a Time Warner Company and eventually The Wheeldon Group of Companies.

[carbro]

Traded on NASDAQ?

[Ray]

Boo to the article writers/NYT fact-checkers (if any) for letting "Philadelphia Ballet" slip by--especially since the Times has covered extensively Wheeldon's Swan Lake with the PENNSYLVANIA Ballet!

[Alexandra]

Ray, I think fact checking went out with epaulement

[kfw]

Here's the part of the article that really intrigued me:

Quote

Mr. Wheeldon said he wanted to give dancers a greater voice, which is sometimes difficult in large companies like City Ballet. Referring to leaders of large companies in general, he said that casting decisions were not “always handled in a perfectly sensitive way.”

“My mission is to create an environment that is collaborative in all respects,” he said.

Collaboration is part of the choreographic process for many choreographers, as I understand it. That makes sense. But collaborative casting? How workable is that?

[beck_hen]

That was the part that stood out for me, too, and I'm not sure I know what it means. But it does remind me of the close working group around Kenneth Macmillan described by Lynn Seymour in her autobiography. In the early years it included her and other dancers or designers for the Royal's touring company, I really forget the details. It is at least refreshing to expect the dancers to contribute to the content of his work, as opposed to the infantilization that often takes place.

[chrisk217]

Kathleen O, on Jan 5 2007, 02:22 AM, said:

How does one say "Morphoses" anyway?  Mor´phoses or Mor-pho´ses?

It  depends on whether the number is plural or singular which is not evident by the english spelling.

Assuming it's singular, it's μόρφωσις (MOR-fos-ses, meaning form, the act of shaping etc in newer usage it may even mean education) Assuming it's plural (more likely), it's μορφώσεις (mor-FOS-ses, meaning forms, shapes  etc)

[dirac]

kfw, on Jan 5 2007, 05:16 PM, said:

Here's the part of the article that really intrigued me:

Quote

Mr. Wheeldon said he wanted to give dancers a greater voice, which is sometimes difficult in large companies like City Ballet. Referring to leaders of large companies in general, he said that casting decisions were not “always handled in a perfectly sensitive way.”

“My mission is to create an environment that is collaborative in all respects,” he said.

Collaboration is part of the choreographic process for many choreographers, as I understand it. That makes sense. But collaborative casting? How workable is that?

My hunch is that eventually he will find himself having to handle casting issues in a less than 'perfectly sensitive way.’  Maybe he'll send flowers or a nice gift along with the bad news?

[bart]

chrisk217, on Jan 5 2007, 12:59 PM, said:

Assuming it's single, it's μόρφωσις (MOR-fos-ses, meaning form, the act of shaping etc in newer usage it may even mean education) Assuming it's plural (more likely), it's μορφώσεις (mor-FOS-ses, meaning forms, shapes  etc)

Wow!  The people involved with Ballet Talk know just about EVERYTHING, collectively at least  !!!  

[Amy Reusch]

Quote

Among the dancers tentatively scheduled to participate in his first season are Wendy Whelan, Sébastien Marcovici, Maria Kowroski, Sofiane Sylve and Edwaard Liang from City Ballet, and Darcey Bussell, Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg from the Royal Ballet, where Mr. Wheeldon has danced and choreographed.

“None of these dancers reflect the dancers that are necessarily going to be in the company when it’s formed in a more concrete way,” he said.

So he's premiering at Vail with a company of superstars whose commitments must preclude them becoming fulltime company members for him... which is why  assumedly they don't reflect the dancers he'll be forming the company out of...   But with dancers of that calliber lining up to tempt him, will he find a muse among his own dancers?  And if not, if guest superstars are frequently to be featured, seems he might as well have stayed a resident choreographer?  I'm still trying to figure out the dynamics of this one.

[leonid]

beck_hen, on Jan 5 2007, 12:59 PM, said:

That was the part that stood out for me, too, and I'm not sure I know what it means. But it does remind me of the close working group around Kenneth Macmillan described by Lynn Seymour in her autobiography. In the early years it included her and other dancers or designers for the Royal's touring company, I really forget the details. It is at least refreshing to expect the dancers to contribute to the content of his work, as opposed to the infantilization that often takes place.

In the meantime he is creating a one act ballet for the Bolshoi based on Hamlet with Tsiskiridze, Lunkina, Alexandrova and Klevtsov to music from Arvo Paart's 3rd Symphony which will be seen in London in the summer.

[sandik]

Amy Reusch, on Jan 6 2007, 06:06 AM, said:

I'm still trying to figure out the dynamics of this one.

You and me both!

[SanderO]

There was a lengthy article in the NY Times about Wheeldon's new venture.

He intends NOT to do story ballet, but new works with classical choreography drawing from talent from around the world.  He intends to do a 34 week performance season and is presently focused on getting funds together to launch the company.

Martins and McKensie were mentioned saying that there is always more room for more good dance and they seemed to welcome the "competition" and Wheeldon's move to carve out a new niche for clasical ballet.

Sounds like it might be interesting and I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.  Wheeldon says he is not trying to be a new/next Balanchine... obviously rather big shoes for anyone to fill.
  
Good on him at 33yrs old.  The proof of the pudding will be in the tasting