10 replies to this topic

[dirac]

Social pages story on San Francisco Ballet's  opening night gala.

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This year's "Moving the Compass" theme was a bit of a head-scratcher.

No matter — gala chairwoman Deborah Taylor, a Broadway producer with the Tony-winning "American Idiot" and the revamped "La Cage Aux Folles" to her credit, was more than happy to explain.

[dirac]

The Joffrey Ballet performs in La Jolla.

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The program begins with Welch’s “Son of Chamber Symphony,” which premiered last summer at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts, followed by “Wheeldon’s After the Rain,” danced to the first movement of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s “Tabula Rasa.” It culminates with Forsythe’s “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated,” which was commissioned by Rudolf Nureyev in 1987 for the Paris Opera Ballet.

[dirac]

A preview of Sarasota Ballet's new mixed bill by Carrie Seidman in The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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"Birthday Offering" is classical and traditional, in the grand Russian Imperial style. "Between Longing and Yearning," Carter's first work for the "Theatre of Dreams" choreography showcase for company dancers, is a remake of the original. And Tuckett's "Changing Light" didn't begin taking shape until the choreographer arrived — a week late due to visa problems — three weeks ago.

[dirac]

A few social pages notes on  Houston Ballet's Ballet Ball.

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powers that be at Houston Ballet, not to mention ball chairs Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein and Martin Fein, are kicking up their heels over news that ball honoree Lynn Wyatt has nabbed international fashion designer Carolina Herrera to join the party. The fab femmes have been close friends for years and Carolina is on board to celebrate La Wyatt

[dirac]

An update on the condition of Sergei Filin.

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Mr Filin, 42, is expected to undergone the next operation on his eyes on Monday. Surgeons say no further plastic surgery is needed for now on the burns to his face, which especially damaged his right eyelid and an area behind one ear.

Related.

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Vladimir Neroyev, the chief ophthalmologist of the Russian Health Ministry, said, "The condition of the eye tissues and structures is stable. Their state has not impaired,” the doctor said.

[dirac]

A review of San Francisco Ballet's gala performance by Rita Felciano for danceviewtimes.

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Deliciously, Pascal Molat gave his part in "Tarantella" more than a touch of Commedia. Dancing with spunky Sasha DeSola, fleet feet, strong but light attacks and bubbling flirtatiousness made this Balanchine sparkler a cheerful opening. But it was Gennadi Nedvigin who brought the house down in "Flower Festival" with the ease and height of his leaps and the softest of landings. He also solicitously partnered Clara Blanco, who has been stuck as the Doll in "Nutcracker" for too long. Blanco is a fine allegro dancer but she could have brought more charm to role.

[dirac]

A review of the National Ballet of Canada in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Alexandra Tomalonis for danceviewtimes.

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Despite the strong structure, Wheeldon doesn’t quite fill out the ballet and although the dancers danced quite well, the acting was tentative. The score, by Jody Talbot, doesn’t help. It’s serviceable, but doesn’t provide the ballet with a soul, nor the dancers very much to react to. This left the choreography very visible and unprotected, and it seemed rather repetitive and not very imaginative. The animals aren’t characterized save by their costumes. The White Rabbit does scurry around, but the others are indistinguishable. They jog, they run, they jump and down, and that’s not enough to turn a very imaginative book into theater. Wheeldon has continued to work on the ballet, one reads, and since he has a solid structure, perhaps he will be able to enrich the dances, or, in time, dancers will find a way to enliven them. There’s the foundation of a good ballet here.

[dirac]

A preview of Kansas City Ballet's new season.

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One premiere, as yet untitled, comes from choreographer Jodie Gates. Details of the work are unavailable, but this is proving to be a busy year for Gates, a veteran of the Joffrey Ballet and other companies. Gates has a premiere on the Ballet West schedule this spring and is soon to unleash “The Sacre Project,” a dance and multimedia installation that deconstructs Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” at the University of California-Irvine, where she teaches.

[dirac]

A review of the Joffrey Ballet by Janice Berman for San Francisco Classical Voice.

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One choice among the three ballets on the bill was problematic. Edward Liang’s The Age of Innocence (2008), supposedly inspired by Jane Austen novels, purports to show sexual tension and repression in the Austen era. Be that as it may, what it actually showed were five interludes with strenuous close partnering in red-draped rooms that reduced the women to scissors and Slinkys in white nighties and underwear. The men manipulating them were wearing peplum shirts atop what looked like panty girdles. Austen, who functioned with singular brilliance in the era allegedly presented here, deserved better, as did the dancers, though they all superbly performed what was set before them. (Talk about repression.).....

[dirac]

A preview of the Joffrey Ballet's "The Rite of Spring" by David Ng in The Los Angeles Times.

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The centenary of "Rite" will see festivals and celebrations in honor of Stravinsky around the world. Starting Friday, the Music Center will commemorate the anniversary with the Joffrey's touring revival of its landmark 1987 "Rite," which was the first major attempt to replicate Nijinsky's lost choreography.

Based on meticulous research, the Joffrey's staging tries to create what audiences in Paris experienced in 1913 minus the cracked monocles and trampled evening gowns. The Music Center also will present a festival devoted to "Rite" spread over several months that will include recitals, lectures and an exhibition.

[dirac]

Entertainment news item on Natalie Portman's move to Paris.

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Portman made her big-screen debut as a 12-year-old in French director Luc Besson's Leon, a role which required her to spend time in Paris, and she studied French as part of an education that culminated in her doing a degree at Harvard.

The actress, who has joint US-Israeli citizenship, has spoken in the past of her desire to become a French citizen and live a normal family life in France, where stringent privacy laws afford celebrities a rare degree of protection from media intrusion.