8 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A review of "Ocean's Kingdom" by Gazelle Emani in The Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingto...ref=mostpopular

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"Ocean's Kingdom," McCartney's first ballet, was written and scored by the man himself. It's a love story between two royals from different worlds -- Princess Honorata (Sara Mearns) from the ethereal Ocean kingdom and Prince Stone (Robert Fairchild) from the menacing Earth kingdom. A weak attempt at thwarting their love is the ballet's major plot point. It's a simple story you've heard before in some variation, and it has more than a few plot holes, but those weaknesses alone are not the dealbreaker here -- even the simplest of stories can be made powerful with the right dance routine. It is Martins' passionless choreography that makes the gaps in the plot all too evident.

Each act looks, more or less, like another cycle through the same dance routines. In the most notable motif: the male lead grasps the female lead around the waist from behind and hoists her up against him, as she languishes in his arms. What this is meant to evoke is not clear, as the same move occurs in supposedly happy and sad moments. And that sums up the biggest problem with "Ocean's Kingdom": choreography that confuses a plot in desperate need of clarifying.

[dirac]

A Reuters story on reactions to "Ocean's Kingdom."

http://www.montrealg...8888/story.html

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Paul McCartney's ballet debut writing an orchestral score and tale of love about an ocean dwelling princess received poor, early reviews on Friday that called his music agreeable but the story and staging bland.

McCartney, 69, posed for photos and fans with fiancee Nancy Shevell, 51, along with fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney and stars such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Naomi Watts and Alec Baldwin at a packed house at the New York City Ballet premiere held on Thursday for Ocean's Kingdom.

[dirac]

A review of Martha Schabas' novel "Various Positions" by Candace Fertile in The Vancouver Sun.

http://www.vancouver...9249/story.html

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Schabas, who studied ballet, captures the meanness of girls, the misunderstanding of teenagers regarding their instructors, and the innocence of 14-year-olds who have access to stuff via the Internet that only compromises their own physical urges. Looking at Internet pornography is not the way to learn about one's own sexuality, but Georgia seems to have few options, and it's likely that these days, many young people are doing exactly the same thing. That's plain scary.

[dirac]

A preview of Alabama Ballet's new season by Michael Huebner in The Birmingham Post.

http://blog.al.com/m...ns_to_lila.html

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Antony Tudor's "Lilac Garden," which the company performed on its American Masterpieces program in May, will receive a encore performance. The Act 2 pas de deux from "Swan Lake" rounds out the program. The company will perform the entire ballet in February at Samford University's Wright Center.

The performances will also highlight a partnership with Studio by the Tracks, a non-profit organization based in Irondale that provides free art classes to emotionally con­flicted children and adults with autism or mental illnesses. The studio also provides art lessons for at-risk boys, age 6-17, with low self-esteem or a lack of social and academic skills who are often involved with violence or drugs.

[dirac]

Michael Kaiser writes about his visit to Kansas City for the opening of its new dance center for The Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingto...y_b_980778.html

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It was a special pleasure to return to Kansas City for the opening of the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity. I got my start as an arts manager 26 years ago at the Kansas City Ballet. My Artistic Director was Todd Bolender, a product of the early days of the New York City Ballet. Todd was the original Phlegmatic in Balanchine's "Four Temperaments" and the original Alias in "Billy the Kid." He passed away in 2006.

[dirac]

The Camagüey Ballet will perform in France and Belgium.

http://www.cadenagra...dance&Itemid=15

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Directed by Regina Balaguer, the troupe’s first performance is scheduled to be held in Brussels and, one day later, it will dance in Paris, where the Palace of Congresses will host two shows. The ensemble will then continue its journey in several French cities, totaling some 86 presentations.

The piece chosen for the tour is The Flames of Paris, by Vasili Vaiononen, in the first version made by a Cuban on the island.

[dirac]

McCartney talks about the composing of "Ocean's Kingdom."

http://www.contactmu...t-offer_1246971

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After being approached for the venture, Paul started to see more ballets and dance performances and found the visits inspirational

"When I started to see more dance and ballet, I was influenced by that and started to write more music that I thought would be good to dance to - specifically, writing expressive music that dancers could get hold of and do something with. It has been a very exciting process."

[dirac]

New York Social Diary pix from the New York City Ballet gala.

http://www.newyorkso...om/node/1907475

[dirac]

A review of Pacific Northwest Ballet by Lynn Jacobson in The Seattle Times.

http://seattletimes....prmid=head_more

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The most arresting piece is the shortest and sparest: An excerpt from 2005's "After the Rain" — a gentle, twining duet performed by Maria Chapman and Karel Cruz in costumes so whisper-light the dancers appeared almost nude.

At times, their gestures suggested images from nature, such as autumn leaves wafting to the ground; or a fern's frond, uncoiling toward the sun. But mostly, the dance looked like what it was: an exquisitely formed man and woman coming together with a connection so electric that, by the end, the air in the theater felt charged and dry, like the sky before a lightning strike. Next came thunder: a roar of adulation from the audience.