23 replies to this topic

[Alexandra]

Did anyone see this one?  dirac posted a wonderful excerpt from the review of a critic who got No Satisfaction from the ballet, and I wondered what people thought.  (I've copied over the link and dirac's excerpt from the Links forum.)


The Telegraph

Quote

Peter Schaufuss says he wants his new work, set to 25 songs by the Rolling Stones, to be called a "dancical", on the grounds that it is not a ballet, but much more entertaining and popular than that.
  
Satisfaction is likely to put people off dance for life
Yet the scandal of Satisfaction, which had its London première at the Apollo Theatre on Wednesday night, is that it takes some of the most vivid and vital songs in the history of British pop and crushes them to death in a show of such plodding ineptitude that it is likely to put people off dance for life.

Swan Lake performed by amateurs would be more fun than this.

[cubanmiamiboy]

The Telegraph

Quote

Swan Lake performed by amateurs would be more fun than this.

Why the take on lovely "Swan Lake"?...Leave it alone!..(I'm very protective on my favorite ballet.. )

[papeetepatrick]

Reminded me of Ann Reinking's 2003 B'way show 'The Look of Love', which was all dances to Burt Bacharach songs--and should have been something special, but apparently was a huge nowhere.  So that's the first 'dancical' I've heard of.  This sounds a little more ga-ga still.

[Alexandra]

cubanmiamiboy, on Aug 31 2007, 09:22 PM, said:

The Telegraph

Quote

Swan Lake performed by amateurs would be more fun than this.

Why the take on lovely "Swan Lake"?...Leave it alone!..(I'm very protective on my favorite ballet.. )

I'm sure that wasn't a suggestion!!!  Just trying to come up with something so horrid that everyone owuld understand it.  (As we speak, some enterprising soul is probably planning "Swan Lake for Nondancers!")  But I hope not.

[bart]

A "dancical"?  He can call it a "popcicle" for all I care.  What was the man thinking?

Quote

He is the first [ ... ] to try to create "short stories" to so many songs, and string them together to provide a full two hours of entertainment. [ ... ]

So, in Sympathy for the Devil, you get Lucifer in a wheelchair, surrounded by fallen angels with conical metal bras, wings on their backs and elbows that flap like frightened chickens; in As Tears Go By, there's a sad man sitting on a box; in Ruby Tuesday there is a girl in - wait for it - ruby red velvet, being dragged around the stage by some bloke.   In Little Red Rooster a man in skin-tight red pants makes vague poultry-style movements at a load of girls dressed as hens, who have red bows on their heads and more flapping elbows; in The Lantern the dancers carry lights.

Can't you imagine "Gimme Shelter," taking place in a realtor's office?  Did Schauffaus learn nothing from all those years with Balanchine?

Please, if you were there, and are willing to admit it, tell us what you thought.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Alexandra, on Aug 31 2007, 10:38 PM, said:

(As we speak, some enterprising soul is probably planning "Swan Lake for Nondancers!")

OMG, noooooo!!...don't give those "enterprising souls" any ideas, Alexandra..!    I have enough with Mathew Bourne and The Trocks already!

[Alexandra]

Cristian, what an inspired idea!  The Trocks doing Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake -- in drag, of course, which would turn the swans back into girls. ;)  I think we may have turned a corner here!

Back to "Satisfaction", I was genuinely curious.  We have a few Londoners here -- any comments?

[sandik]

A brief tangent -- "dansicle" is a term that is being used to describe Matthew Bourne's work, the idea being that they strongly resemble musical theater in their structure and purpose, but use dance rather than song to communicate their ideas.

I vaguely remember the term used for Susan Stroman's "Contact," but I don't think it was coined for that.

Back to your regularly scheduled conversation...

[Alexandra]

It's been used a lot before.  I sused it in a Washington Post review about "Merry Widow" back in the early '90s (the editors had a debate amongst themselves how to spell it, and it came out dansical, I think), and was later told by several people other previous usages in print, one by Croce (but I can't remember the cause).

[sandik]

Alexandra, on Sep 1 2007, 10:56 PM, said:

It's been used a lot before.  I sued it in a Washington Post review about "Merry Widow" back in the early '90s (the editors had a debate amongst themselves how to spell it, and it came out dansical, I think), and was later told by several people other previous usages in print, one by Croce (but I can't remember the cause).

I didn't know it was such a venerable term -- thanks!

[carbro]

Alexandra, on Sep 1 2007, 06:56 PM, said:

I sued it in a Washington Post review about "Merry Widow" back in the early '90s . . .

  Copyright/trademark infringement?

Sorry, Alexandra.  I tried to resist.  Honest, I did.  

Steering back vaguely towards topic, did you get satisfaction?

[bart]

Bourne's Swan Lake has great music, no words, and funny swan pants.   Movin' Out has choreography with a witty and non-literal relationship to Bill Joel songs performed by musicians hanging out above the stage.  How about Gene Kelly's Invitation to the Dance, which has no words, but scores by Ibert, Previn and Rimsky-Korsokov?  Or Susan Stroman's Contact, a 3-act format like Kelly's, but set to a mixed bag including Rogers and Hart, Tchaikosky, and Grieg?    

It seems that the term "dansical" may be a very BIG tent.

I don't want to cause any trouble, but a Trocks take-off on Bourne's take-off on Swan Lake, with the male dancers playing women playing male dancers playing swans, and with completely new lyrics by Bjork, who would sing them wearing that swan dress she wore to 2001 Oscars -- why not?   It could be the Dansical to End All Dansicals.    

[Mme. Hermine]

hmmm..... Swan Lake ala Victor/Victoria...

[diane]

I like the idea of a ballet - dance-piece to Rolling Stones, but I have a hard time imagining something better than Christopher Bruce's "Rooster" of long-ago.
Still, I am very interested to hear reports by people here who saw the Schaufuss production.

-d-

[Alexandra]

Helo, Diane!  It's good to read you again. I never saw Bruce's "Rooster," unfortunately, but I'm sure it's possible to do a good ballet to the Stones, or any other group (both Beatles ballets I've seen have been quite awful too, but one lives in hope )

I hope all this chatter hasn't stopped anyone who saw this from posting -- if you liked it, tell us!