7 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A previewof the new season in dance by Roslyn Sulcas for The International Herald Tribune.

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On the same program is Merce Cunningham’s “Un jour ou deux,” set to a score by John Cage. The piece was created for the Paris company in 1973 and is being shown as a homage to the great modern dance choreographer, who died in 2009.

French ballet companies are far more preoccupied with American choreographic heritage, and more open to mixing genres and techniques than U.S. companies seem to be. (You might have thought that after Cunningham’s death and the dissolution of his company, U.S. troupes would have clamored for the work. But only the New York City Ballet has a Cunningham piece (“Summerspace”) in its repertory, and that acquisition dates from 1966.)

[dirac]

Tamara Rojo announces the English National Ballet's season lineup.

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A Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev will run at the same venue from July 25 to 27, 2013 and will include Michel Fokine's Petrushka, Maurice Bejart's Song of a Wayfarer and Nureyev's Raymonda, Act III. This mixed programme will mark the 75th anniversary of Nurevey's birth and the 20th anniversary of his death.

Related.

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The 38-year-old Rojo said: "In terms of what we think we can achieve, I am a lot more ambitious than the previous directors." She continued "I was never the best dancer, but I was the most bloody minded. My ambition is to have the most creative and the most loved ballet company."

Among her ambitions are to make the ballet more relevant, accessible, fun "and a great night out". Yet she fears the effect of diminishing support from the state. The ENB will see its funding from Arts Council England cut by nearly 30 per cent by 2015.

[dirac]

Long Beach Ballet will perform at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

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Choreographed by Johnny Zhong and directed by Wilcox, the two-hour Guardians is a completely new piece of work that, following the pairing of Wilcox and Schubel, attempts to encapsulate the struggle and partnership of the human-versus-nature dynamic via multimedia dance drama. With a score that is "tremendous" (no hints, Wilcox said), the piece is both an expression of art as well as analysis of our role in the environment.

[dirac]

Reviews of Houston Ballet's Women @ Art program.

Houston Press

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It may be redundant to fawn over Twyla Tharp's The Brahms-Haydn Variations, but there's a reason why Tharp is a seminal figure in contemporary dance. Just as composers create variations in which themes in their music are repeated, choreographers can create movement motifs with recognizable patterns. Tharp matches Brahms' music with choreography that complements the central melody.

Broadway World

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....From the tips of fingers to the movement of the mandible, Aszure Barton has attended to every aspect of the body in such a way that there is always some large easily noticed movement accompanied by smaller, more frenetic movements happening at all times. This complicated and complex piece adroitly captured the feeling of the music and unnerved the audience in a fascinating way, especially when a female dancer let fly a chilling laugh in the middle of the piece. Capturing the contemporary zeitgeist, I couldn’t help but feel that this is what ballet by Lady Gaga’s Haus of Gaga would look like. Moreover, the large cast was enthralling and captivating in this dance, with each performer visibly executing the choreography with practiced perfection.

[Helene]

Michael Popkin reviews New York City Ballet in "Apollo," "Orpheus," and "Agon" for danceviewtimes.

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When the first chords of "Apollo" opened New York City Ballet's fall season, the audience was even more attentive than usual.  Many had lived half their lives to this ballet and returned to it with an attention conditioned by memory. The evening's performance did justice to this reverie and laid a beautiful new recollection on top of the others.  "Orpheus" and "Agon" fell away from this level but were still danced well enough for the program's theme to register.

[dirac]

Mystic Ballet will open its season in the new Mystic Stage performing arts venue.

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Mystic Ballet, which boasts a number of international dancers and choreographers, will continue to perform around the world as well. It has shows scheduled this year in Canada, Japan and Turkey.

Mystic Stage's first phase is expected to cost around $100,000, Subotic says. He hopes to complete a second phase within five years. That would include expanding the stage and adding dressing rooms; the town of Stonington had already approved a proposed expansion in 2008. A building next door is currently being used for dressing rooms.

[dirac]

Benjamin Millepied's premiered last weekend.  Link to Lewis Segal's review at bottom of page.

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The world premiere of choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s newest ballet, “Moving Parts,” at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Saturday evening ensured that the Emmy Awards weren’t downtown Los Angeles’ only star-studded event of the weekend, with a guest list that included Robert Pattinson, Mindy Kaling, Rashida Jones, Dita Von Teese, and Millepied’s wife Natalie Portman, radiantly attired in a haute couture white bustier flower embroidered gown by Dior and platinum and diamond snowflake earrings by Van Cleef & Arpels.

[dirac]

Reviews of Pacific Northwest Ballet in "Cinderella."

Seattle Times

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When a guest shows up too often, his or her charms may fade just a bit. That may be the case with Pacific Northwest Ballet's "Cinderella," back on stage only a year and a half since its last outing. Friday's opening-night performance, which kicked off the company's 40th anniversary season, was well cast, wonderfully danced and beautifully designed — it just felt a little familiar. The audience response was warm but subdued (no standing ovation), for a ballet that's charming rather than dazzling.

The SunBreak

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The glory of the evening, though, must go to Carla Körbes as Cinderella. Her dancing seemed light as thistledown and effortlessly balanced as she seemed to float through her role. With tiny motions of her head or body, she conveyed her character as kind and warm, sometimes sad, often shy, yet clearly a girl of character and strength. She and her partner, Karel Cruz as the Prince, have that close rapport with each other which creates memorable duets.