10 replies to this topic

[dirac]

Ballet Idaho presents "Firebird" this weekend.

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"Firebird" is one of the classic ballets of the early 20th century brought to life by Ballet Idaho's artistic director Peter Anastos and one of the troupe's two female principal dancers, Heather Hawk.

Anastos said he has wanted to present the Russian inspired "Firebird" with music by composer Igor Stravinsky his entire career, but never felt he had the dancer who could pull off the lead role as the magical woman-turned-bird "Firebird."

[dirac]

The Canyon Concert Balletpresents "Dancing with the Stars of Fort Collins."

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The event is a fundraiser for the Canyon Concert Ballet, a non-profit organization, that aims to “create and share the passion of dance through artistically enriching performances and dance education,” according to the company’s mission statement.

[dirac]

Pennsylvania Balletperforms this weekend. Photo gallery.

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Pushing Boundaries: Forsythe & Neenan, a dynamic program of three contemporary works opened last night and runs through February 12.

The program includes The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, by William Forsythe, and Keep and 11:11, both by Matthew Neenan.

[dirac]

A preview of the Joffrey Ballet'sMcGregor-Forsythe-Wheeldon triple bill by Sid Smith in The Chicago Tribune.

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For years, Forsythe has been hailed for his deconstructionist approach, but he rejects the term.

"I'm not sure everyone even understands what that means," he said. "I just try to do what seems logical, from the inside. To those of us who're practitioners, it doesn't seem the least bit deconstructionist. If anything, I'd call it extended. It's not as exotic as they like to make it sound.

[dirac]

Kansas City Balletpresents "Romeo and Juliet."

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At this point William Whitener, artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet, leaned over, chuckled and whispered to a visitor: "This is the second time this season that people were pronounced dead who weren't." He was referring to the ballet's world premiere of "Tom Sawyer" late last year, which also contains a faked death.

The rehearsal continued: Romeo, danced by Luke Luzicka, was so distraught that he produced a knife and took his own life. Then Juliet, performed by Angelina Sansone, awoke, realized that her true love was dead, grabbed the knife and snuffed out her own short life.

[dirac]

A review of Les Ballets de Monte-Carloby Laura Bleiberg in The Los Angeles Times' blog.

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Who needs a glass slipper when you’ve got lovely high arches that sparkle like gold, as did the evening’s gracious and warm Cinderella, Anja Behrend? Maillot has no use for a fireplace or ashes, either (though he makes fun of all that in a ballet-within-the-ballet). While other “Cinderellas” exist as an excuse to open the trapdoor and rev up the theatrical machinery, Maillot focuses on underlying allegories. Take notice of the Sisters’ rotted black toes.

This is not a children’s ballet, though the little princesses seated near me grinned contentedly. Maillot crafts steps with cold precision, using a contemporary dance language of whip-fast classicism, scooped torsos, oversized gestures and exaggerated pantomime. He saves the flowing, exultant pas de deux for Behrend and her quite charming Prince, Asier Uriagereka, for the ball, in the night’s most rewarding apotheosis.

[dirac]

An interview with Alicia Alonso (at least that's what it appears to be. Having trouble with the page).

[dirac]

Reviews of New York City Ballet.

The New York Times

Weill and Brecht demand — and deserve — a particular world of movement invention, something severe and strange, with an unmistakable point of view. (And there are so many contemporary choreographers, like Pam Tanowitz, Sarah Michelson or Anna Sperber, who could deliver, if only the ballet world would reach out.) Ms. Taylor-Corbett instead supplies instantly forgettable sequences of lifts and long, chorus line-esque patterns, with poor Ms. Whelan stumbling and tumbling through it like a windblown sparrow.

The New York Post

The big entertainment of the night came from two little ballets: the pristine “Concerto Barocco” and the brassy “Tarantella.” “Barocco” is led by identically dressed ballerinas, but one’s more equal than the other. Sara Mearns was so urgent and exaggerated that it wasn’t until she left the stage that you realized she wasn’t dancing the lead — Teresa Reichlen was. Things came back into balance in the final movement, when Reichlen found her stride and Mearns calmed down.

[dirac]

A review of West Australian Ballet's annual outdoor performance by Stephen Bevis in The West Australian.

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The dancers were at risk of dangerously slipping during their performance in the very high humidity, which reached 98 per cent according to one report. The under-floor panels help keep the floor dry and offset an unusually high dew point.

As technicians worked on the problem WA Ballet artistic director Ivan Cavallari entertained the crowd with a few jokes and invited audience members to come up and tell stories. Quarry founder and leasding Perth dance figure Dianna Waldron gave a history of the venue, which opened in 1986.

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet by Carol Pardo for danceviewtimes.

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The big news at this program, presented under the moniker "A la russe," was the feast of debuts: Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz dancing "Zakouski" for the first time in New York and Wendy Whelan surrounded by a trio of new comers in "Russian Seasons".

Although the inhabitants of "Russian Seasons" share a rooted toughness, in dance terms their community is more fragile. With a cast of only twelve, six men and six women, any cast change—never mind three in one night—risks weakening the sense of place and character of the piece.

[dirac]

Dimity Azoury is one of the dancers nominated for this year's Telstra Ballet Dancer Award.

http://www.queanbeya...rd/2451162.aspx

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Introduced in 2003 to encourage young Australian ballet dancers to reach their full potential, the awards have catapulted the careers of some of ballet's brightest stars.

This year's nominees were chosen based on their performances throughout 2011, the ongoing development of their skills and their support of fellow company members. The 23-year-old said she was honoured to be nominated.