Barbara Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Finally saw this movie on last night. I enjoyed it, especially the chance to become acquainted with the dancing of Chi Cao. But I must add kudos (to Helene's earlier post) to Bruce Greenwood's Ben Stevenson. I found his work to be exceptionally nuanced and believable. The first time I actually "bought" an actor as ballet master; light years better than Peter Gallagher in Center Stage, Malcolm McDowell in The Company and even Vincent Cassel in Black Swan. I'm a big Bruce Greenwood fan and this portrayal did not disappoint. Link to comment
puppytreats Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I saw the movie but did not read the book. Does the book explain the title? Does the book discuss Li's relationship with Stevenson after Li joined the ballet as a soloist? Maybe the nature of relationship is why the choreography of Murphy was used, in addition to the ties to Australia. Link to comment
JMcN Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Yes, the book covers a much longer period than the film, mostly covering Li's early life which goes a long way to explaining the title. I suspect that Graeme Murphy's choreography was used because the film was financed and mostly filmed in Australia. I think I identified a section from Stevenson's Three Preludes though. Do read the book, I found it an inspirational read and relevant whether you are interested in dance or not. Link to comment
duffster Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Finally saw this movie on last night. I enjoyed it, especially the chance to become acquainted with the dancing of Chi Cao. But I must add kudos (to Helene's earlier post) to Bruce Greenwood's Ben Stevenson. I found his work to be exceptionally nuanced and believable. The first time I actually "bought" an actor as ballet master; light years better than Peter Gallagher in Center Stage, Malcolm McDowell in The Company and even Vincent Cassel in Black Swan. I'm a big Bruce Greenwood fan and this portrayal did not disappoint. Link to comment
duffster Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Having worked with Ben Stevenson myself, Bruce Greenwood did a great job in capturing his character, they even copied his practice wardrobe to perfection. I remember that Ben had a great sense of humor, he was a great mimic and could imitate anyone in the company- it was hilarious yet very humbling. I felt it was his way of correcting your approach to your dancing and also to put you down a peg if he felt your head was getting too big. From what I could see it always worked. Link to comment
Helene Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Jann Parry just wrote an article on Li's work as AD of Queensland Ballet: http://dancetabs.com/2015/07/a-heads-up-on-queensland-ballets-la-sylphide-li-cunxin/ Link to comment
Helene Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 And Judith Mackrell has written a piece on Li for "The Guardian" that recaps his life in China, but also talks about Queensland Ballet and how he perceived attitudes in America: http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jul/30/li-cunxin-maos-last-dancer-queensland-ballet-interview?CMP=twt_culture*gdnculture Link to comment
Recommended Posts