8 replies to this topic

[dirac]

Sarah Klein and Amanda L. Chan try out Mary Helen Bowers' Ballet Beautiful fitness program for The Huffington Post.

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Sarah's Take:
I've written before about how I am just so utterly not a dancer, so it was with more than a little nervous anticipation that I entered Ballet Beautiful's gorgeous Soho studio. While it can be intimidating to have a private lesson with an experienced trainer, I felt more comfortable knowing we wouldn't have to keep up with any prima ballerinas in class. Every move Bowers led us through was tiring -- exhausting, in some cases -- and yet still felt somehow subtle. I wasn't panting or pouring sweat or wobbling all over, but I could feel my muscles working deeply.

[dirac]

An interview with Sergei Polunin by Sarah Crompton in The Telegraph.

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Polunin has the stardom he craves, but if he follows the Zelensky plan he will also be able to perform as a guest with companies round the world, thereby developing as an artist by building a wide repertory of challenging roles. 'I try to explain to him, he has to concentrate on one thing,' Zelensky says. 'He is not a rock star, he is a sportsman, and he has this really short time, maybe 10 years, to work for his name as a dancer, and after maybe his name is going to work for him.' Polunin's attitude to Zelensky is warm. 'I always thought it was lucky I met Igor,' he says. 'And he told me it's lucky he met me. So it works both ways.' He never criticises the Royal Ballet in conversation, saying it is a structure that works well. But he now likes the way that he is answerable only to Zelensky.

[dirac]

A preview of the Joffrey Ballet's "American Legends" program by Sid Smith in The Chicago Tribune.

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Ashley Wheater, the Joffrey's artistic director, says he always saw the American tribute more broadly. "I've been wanting to do a program featuring American choreographers and composers," he said. "Stanton's work is set to a score by John Adams, an American composer who has made an enormous contribution to the cultural arts here and worldwide."

[dirac]

A story on the Joffrey Ballet's "The Rite of Spring" in Los Angeles by Debra Levine in The Huffington Post.

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Several former Joffrey ballerinas, original members of the 1987 cast, returned for a "Rite" reunion. Beatriz Rodriguez, for 27 years a Joffrey ballerina and the first to dance "The Chosen One" (the female lead; selected for sacrifice, she dies on stage), said: "Robert Joffrey knew me as a dancer. I had a lot of dramatic roles: Kate in "The Taming of the Shrew," Juliet in Cranko's "Romeo." Dancing "The Chosen One" made me feel spiritual. It took a lot to not run away ... and I'm still in it." ........................ Carole Vallesky, the second Joffrey ballerina to dance "The Chosen One," said, "Was there a narrative for my performance? Yes, absolutely. At that time, Robert Joffrey was dying. I used to think about him while I danced. He was surrounded by elders; no one could help him. You can't escape that circle. You are flailing. The only way out is up."

[dirac]

Milwaukee Ballet holds its  biennial Genesis International Choreography Competition.

ExpressMilwaukee.com

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Each choreographer was assigned a randomly selected team of the company's great dancers. They were given three weeks to create a 20-minute contemporary ballet for the Genesis concert at the Pabst Theater. First, second and third places will be determined after the closing performance by a panel of national experts and the combined votes of each night's audience. Each choreographer receives a cash prize. The winner is invited back to make a new ballet in 2014.

The Journal Sentinel

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Audience votes will help determine the winner of the ballet's Genesis International Choreography Competition, which finds three finalists - James Gregg, Lauren Edson and Gabrielle Lamb - choreographing works for the company.

Third Coast Digest

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Gregg, a member of Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, heard about the competition from Edgar Zendejas, another Montreal dancer. Zendejas competed but did not win the Milwaukee Ballet competition in 2011. Nevertheless, he encouraged Gregg to apply and send video. “Edgar told me about the wonderful experience he had here and the high energy in the company,” Gregg said.

[dirac]

Sergei Filin will probably require further surgery.

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Bolshoi Theater artistic director Sergei Filin might need to undergo more operations in Germany, Russia's chief ophthalmologist said Tuesday.

Vladimir Neroyev told Interfax that Filin would need months to recover from the attack and that more operations on his eyes would most likely be required.

[dirac]

The Hamburg Ballet brings "The Little Mermaid" to Orange County.....

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Neumeier's ballets, including "Nijinsky" (2000), "Death in Venice" (2003) and his masterpiece, "The Lady of the Camelias" (1978), are all distinguished by lead roles that demand persuasive acting as well as virtuosic dancing.

Neumeier doesn't distinguish between the two skill sets. "Acting and dancing are not divisible for me. Dance is an action in the Aristotelian sense. I don't believe in imposing acting (on the dance) as we would put frosting on a cake. I believe that they both come from the same emotional source. The way I lift my leg or move my arm on stage has to do with my emotional motivation..."

[dirac]

....and "Nijinsky" to San Francisco.

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The controversial and much acclaimed Nijinsky, about the tumultuous life of Vaslav Nijinsky, features scenery, lighting, and costumes by Neumeier, who has been possessed by the subject for many years: "It began with a fascination, with a person and a research through my entire life, which has never disappointed me, a puzzle which has still not been solved for me."

[dirac]

From alert reader sandik, a link to a review of Pacific Northwest Ballet's "Romeo et Juliette" by Steve Clare for Examiner.com.

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PNB truly has a treasure in their production of Romeo et Juliette, capturing not only one’s eyes but one’s heart and soul as well.

The night ended on a high note when Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal announced to the opening night audience that James Moore, a member of the company since 2004, has been promoted to principal dancer.