10 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A visit with Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller of FAILE, with many photos.

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"So we had a meeting with Peter Martins, who is the Ballet Master in Chief," says the other Faile, Patrick Miller, as he talks about the new art series the ballet is sponsoring, "and we just kind of showed him our work and all the things we had done -- it was amazing actually. He was so enthusiastic. And when we heard of all the artists who have been involved with them before we were just like, "Alright, just tell us when you are ready to say 'go'!" A completely understandable response when you realize you've just joined a list of artists that include Warhol, Noguchi, Clemente, and Lichtenstein, among others.

Related.

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For many lucky ballet goers on February 1 and May 29, FAILE has packaged up two-by-two wooden blocks from their project, each hand painted, and each unique. “They are ‘building blocks’ of the installation in the show,” said Miller. “It’s to extend the conversation after the performance, and hopefully, it encourages more people to go out and enjoy the ballet.”

[dirac]

A review of the Joffrey Ballet by Lou Fancher for Berkeleyside.

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But even before the iconic ballet impressed, the company strutted their considerable stuff in Age of Innocence, a Jane Austen-inspired work by Edwaard Liang, and Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain.

Liang proved most adept at crisp beginnings and surprisingly satisfying endings for his five-movement work set to the music of Philip Glass and Thomas Newman. Sandwiched between the cleverness, a tendency to become mired in the remarkable architecture of the dancers and the spatial configurations drained the work of its fullest potential. Occasional raggedness in the ensemble’s multiple duets, where differences in musicality or the range of an arm movement or the torso’s sweep varied significantly, were regrettable.

[dirac]

The Brooklyn Ballet collaborates with a hacker collective on its season opener.

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"'Tracing Back' reveals an aspect of choreography an audience does not usually see: the floor pathways of the dancers as they travel in real time,” said Lynn Parkerson, Artistic Director. “I've been thinking about this idea for years and recently stumbled upon a world of techno/digital artists who are passionate about creating something new with ballet as a departure point."

[dirac]

Svetlana Lunkina flees Russia for Canada.

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Svetlana Lunkina told the Izvestia daily she had taken leave from the theatre until the end of the season over troubles stemming from a film in which her husband was involved.

Izvestia said she had already been outside Russia for half a year and there is no clear link between her problems and the acid attack this month on the Bolshoi ballet's artistic director Sergei Filin.

[dirac]

Sergei Filin will stay in Germany during his recovery and rehabilitation.

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Sergei Filin, 42, has undergone at least four eye operations and other surgery since a masked assailant splashed acid in his face as he returned home from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow late on Jan. 17.

Filin will be moved to Aachen, Germany, next week, Russia's chief ophthalmologist, Sergei Neroyev, told Interfax new agency.

[dirac]

A review of San Francisco Ballet and Orchestra by Janos Gereben for San Francisco Classical Voice.

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At the Thursday gala in the War Memorial Opera House, dancer after dancer showed his and her best. The secret is not only Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson's consistent building of one the prime companies in the world, and the excellence of the artists — it's also because of a schedule unique to ballet.

I learned this years ago, but still have trouble believing it: Training and rehearsal for the January-May season begins ... in July! So, opening, premiere, debut, all the "new" things the audience sees have six months hard work behind them, including the tough, intensive "Nutcracker month" of December.

[dirac]

A preview of the National Ballet of Canada in "Romeo and Juliet."

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Like so many NBC dancers, Lobsanova is a company “lifer,” having studied at the National Ballet School before joining the company as an apprentice in 2005. However, her momentum was temporarily halted when she suffered a stress fracture in her foot, an injury that sidelined her for almost two years.


Some say the fracture occurred because she jumped at the apprenticeship contract too early, before she was physically or mentally ready for the rigours of company life. But Lobsanova doesn’t indulge in 20-20 hindsight.

[dirac]

A preview of Miami City Ballet.

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On February 5th, South Florida ballet lovers will have the pleasure of experiencing the artistic brilliance of American Ballet Theater’s Artist in Residence, Alexei Ratmansky. As one of the most internationally sought after choreographers, Ratmansky will be bringing to the South Florida stage his innovative and dramatic set, Symphonic Dances. Following its one-night-only world premiere performance last year, Symphonic Dances will begin its repertory season via Miami City Ballet’s Program III.

[dirac]

The sports blog Grantland picks up the Filin story.

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Let's now take a minute to remember the underlying message here: Never, ever, under any circumstance, mess with a Russian.

[dirac]

Mikhail Baryshnikov will address the graduates at Northwestern University.

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Northwestern's 2013 commencement ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday, June 21, at the University's Ryan Field.

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet by Mary Cargill for danceviewtimes.

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There is mystery and ambiguity in Balanchine's "Diamonds", but it is never pointless. For me, it isn't one of his masterpieces, (except for the pas de deux), as the corps dances on and on. But it has sublime craft, and the patterns, with their delicate references to "Swan Lake", suit the mood. Even the light blue background with the cheesy baubles can't destroy the moonlit atmosphere. Sara Mearns and Ask la Cour were the modern day Odette and Siegfried, and the pas de deux was hauntingly beautiful. La Cour was steady and deferential and Mearns, though she seemed to be dancing rather carefully, moved with her usual luscious sweep.