7 replies to this topic

[dirac]

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presents "Ballet Under the Stars."

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The organization's Westmoreland County coordinator Nichole Gantshar said the Saturday performance was a pilot project for bringing ballet to regional hubs, with other prospective locations in Fayette County; Morgantown, W.Va.; and either Beaver or Butler County.

[dirac]

Q&A with Mikhail Messerer.

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Sometimes a dancer dances smartly but is a fool in real life. How does this work?
As is commonly said, the stage highlights the fool but it is also true that a human can be reborn on stage. And if he has a rare acting gift, do not ask of him that he should also be able to be part of an intellectual discussion. Another can splendidly talk at the table and be the smartest human being, but on stage he cannot express anything. These are different gifts although sometimes they are combined in one person.

So is the clever ballet dancer an illusion? No, I cannot agree with the old joke: A farmer had three sons, two clever ones and the third was a ballet dancer. But there is a special stage intellect, another aspect of human consciousness and talent.

[dirac]

A program allows homeless men in South Korea to study ballet.

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Local media have widely featured photos of Kim Su-won bowing gracefully in ballet style to his customers. Stricken with polio in childhood, he says he found pride through ballet.

“Ballet felt so distant at first. Not a lot of Korean men learn it. It’s also not easy to come here every Sunday,” he says. “It’s challenging, but I feel so proud of myself.” SBT officials say that dancing has helped the homeless regain self-confidence.

[dirac]

An anonymous donor comes to the aid of ballet student Daniel Dolan, who needs funds to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

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But, at one point, it looked as if his hopes could be dashed unless he found a sponsor to help him pay the school’s fees – which work out at around 1,250 euros per month. This is apart from the thousands of pounds Daniel needs every year to pay for his flights to the Russian capital, living expenses, dance kit, and compulsory medical checks.

The anonymous benefactor came forward after reading about Daniel’s plight in newspapers, including the Daily Post, and offered to pay his fees for the remaining three years of his course.

[dirac]

A review of the Joffrey Ballet and the Cleveland Orchestra by Mark Satola for The Plain Dealer.

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Conductor Tito Munoz was in the pit for the proceedings. Munoz, currently music director of the Lorraine National Opera and the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, was assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra from 2007 to 2010.

Although a labor dispute earlier this summer threatened to derail the performances, cooler heads prevailed, and the Chicago-based Joffrey took the stage Saturday and Sunday nights at Blossom, with the Cleveland Orchestra out of sight but not out of hearing, just below the front of the stage.

[dirac]

The National Youth Ballet will present a new ballet based on "Chocolat."

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So why adapt Chocolat? McNicol says, "It's a tale of acceptance of one's self and others. It's a tale of love and courage and that's such a great universal message. You can read it on many levels and it's appropriate for a huge audience range."

McNicol feels that the emotional story of Chocolat lends itself well to dance; he told the BBC, "I've been wanting to do a much larger work." He continued, "all my choreography is quite narrative based. It's a real challenge to get anything across when you only have five or 10 minutes. I've always wanted more time - and this seemed like the opportunity to say more."

[dirac]

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center releases the numbers on its classical season and New York City Ballet gains ground.

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The ballet started the season strong, bringing in a total income of $936,304, up 8 percent from 2010 earnings of $863,065. This year’s numbers were also the highest since 2009, when the ballet season was shortened from three to two weeks.

“What was different this year was we were able to have the principal dancers do curtain talks and we had the ‘See the Music’ program, and those add an educational component for our audience and connects them personally, and I think that really added something,” SPAC President and Executive Director Marcia White said. “In addition, attendance at our pre-performance events, like date night and American Girl night, increased greatly.”

[dirac]

Q&A with Ashley Bouder by Gia Kourlas in Time Out New York.

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Because it’s like, whatever happens, happens. And that’s drilled into you too, right? Yeah. Especially at City Ballet because things get thrown together and you’re like, “Let’s just do the partnering right. Don’t drop me. I won’t kick you. We’re all good.” I guess with somebody like Wendy who’s danced these parts so often it’s really not worth it for her if she can’t have that. I think we hold ourselves to a standard that’s not that high. Maybe we should. And maybe you won’t make it…

But you should aim that high? Yeah.