9 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A story on Charles Askegard's retirement and future plans by Roslyn Sulcas in The New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.c...-next.html?_r=1

Quote

He is not, however, leaving dancing. Mr. Askegard, 42, is forming a company, Ballet Next, with Michele Wiles, a former American Ballet Theater ballerina who left that troupe with surprising abruptness in June.

But first there’s the whole retirement thing to get through, and two weeks ago he sat on the stage of the David H. Koch Theater, surrounded by three of his most regular partners: Maria Kowroski, Wendy Whelan and Sara Mearns. All were participating in a seminar focused on Mr. Askegard’s career, and the women laughed and teased him between compliments....

[dirac]

A feature on the Kennedy Center's dance season.

http://www.baltimore...0,1386160.story

Quote

For balletomanes who enjoy gorgeous classical ballet still accompanied by a live  orchestra, check out the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, celebrating its 10th anniversary season at the Kennedy Center Oct. 12-16.


Undertaking the immense responsibility of preserving Balanchine’s great works, the company offers a fresh, new look at these masterpieces. The company will collaborate with the Sarasota Ballet to perform “Diamonds” on both programs. Note that it was created for Suzanne Farrell, so a more authentic showcase would be hard to find.

[dirac]

A preview of the season in dance by Paula Citron in The Globe and Mail.

http://www.theglobea...article2185150/

Quote

Full-length story ballets keep attracting the crowds, so it’s no surprise that they are dominating the fall dance season. The National Ballet of Canada, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet are all presenting original works. But this fall will also see acclaimed works on national tours, and some key festivals are showcasing Canadian and international dance talent. In a very rich season, here are five to watch.

[dirac]

A review of the CD of "Ocean's Kingdom" by Judith Mackrell in The Guardian.

http://www.guardian....y?newsfeed=true

Quote

And more than one critic thought the music deserved a second chance onstage, with better choreography.

It is important to keep "with better choreography" in mind however, when listening to Ocean's Kingdom, the CD. Few ballet scores travel well beyond the theatre, with even Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev usually abbreviated to suite form for the concert hall. And however serviceable McCartney's music may be on stage, it makes for very thin listening on its own.

[dirac]

A story on David Hallberg's move to the Bolshoi by Richard Solash for Radio Free Europe. Video clip included.

http://www.rferl.org...p/24343914.html

Quote

The leap Hallberg is making is indeed large, but the shoes he is hoping to fill have never before existed. On November 4, he will make his debut in Moscow as the first foreign member of Russia’s legendary Bolshoi Ballet company -- entering a rarefied space at the very core of Russia’s artistic heart.

His hiring provides a counterpoint to the storied defections by Soviet dancers during the 1960s and '70s. It was, in fact, exactly 50 years ago that the man many call the greatest male ballet dancer in history -- Rudolf Nureyev -- stepped off a plane in Paris and slipped through the grasp of the USSR.

[dirac]

The Ankara State Opera and Ballet kicks off its season this weekend.

http://www.hurriyetd...ason-2011-09-30

Quote

“We have renewed the seats” ahead of the first performance, Ankara ADOB manager, Erdoğan Davran said at a recent press conference, adding that audiences had complained about the seats. “Now, however, we have new seats.” The salon’s capacity has decreased to 600 people, allowing members of the audience to view the shows more comfortably.

ADOB will stage eight new opera shows in the 2011-2012 season, including Selma Ada’s operatic work “Ali Baba and Kırkharamiler;” Davran said they expected the work to attract great interest.

[dirac]

Ballet British Columbia is in the black.

http://www.straight....d-posts-surplus

Quote

In a press statement, the ballet's executive director Jay Rankin referred to the troupe's bold new contemporary programming and his “gratitude to our audiences and donors who have shown wide support for the new direction the company is taking under Artistic Director Emily Molnar’s leadership. Audiences in Vancouver are eagerly anticipating the promise of further exciting new work from the rising choreographic stars showcased in the upcoming 2011/2012 season.”

[dirac]

Courtesy of innopac, a story on a murder trial in New South Wales in which the accused's counsel has come up with a ballet-related argument.

http://www.smh.com.a...0929-1kzep.html

Quote

Robert Richter, QC, for Simon Gittany, told the NSW Supreme Court that Lisa Harnum was a ballerina and she could easily have leapt onto the balcony railing without leaving fingerprints on the glass panels.

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet in "Ocean's Kingdom" by Joan Acocella in the 3 October issue of The New Yorker.  Full article available online subscriber-only.

http://www.newyorker...ancing_acocella

Quote

Other things happen—there’s a ball, and a storm, and a nice lady gets killed—but these events go by fast. Martin’s choreography is far plainer than his usual product, perhaps in an attempt to yield to or correspond with McCartney’s score. Maybe the only thing that can be said for “Ocean’s Kingdom” is that its blankness brings into sharp relief some opposite qualities, such as the brilliance of its Honorata, twenty-five-year-old Sara Mearns. Mearns is the most dazzling dancer that N.Y.C.B has fielded in maybe twenty years.

[dirac]

An appreciation of David Y.H. Lui by Marsha Lederman in The Globe and Mail.

Quote

Vancouver wasn’t exactly a cultural centre in the early 1970s, but thanks to Lui, it became a frequent stop for world class artists. In 1972, the young upstart established the David Y. H. Lui Dance Spectacular series, and over the years he brought such greats to town as Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, the Joffrey Ballet and even Shirley MacLaine.

“I was this bushy-haired little boy, getting a theatre and, like Mickey [Rooney] and Judy [Garland], putting a show on,” Lui remembered.