13 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet by Alastair Macaulay in The New York Times.

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I wish this debate would return. Today we’re used to seeing symphonies, Masses, sonatas, concertos and quartets used as background wallpaper for dance. The idea that classical music is a holy art, to be approached only by choreographers of aural sensitivity and structural finesse, is more or less old hat. When George Balanchine (1904-83), renowned as the most musical of choreographers, choreographed a symphony, he covered ground in which few could follow.

[dirac]

Pix from San Francisco Ballet's gala.

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While the reception area had a very subdued vibe, adjacent rooms took on very different character. Live music, DJs, and dancing – it seemed that everyone was letting loose. The biggest surprise of the evening came with precisely choreographed timing…A flash mob (yes, a flash mob) broke for five minutes to will.i.am and Britney Spears “Scream and Shout”, an uncharacteristically refreshing part of the evening.

[dirac]

Ballet West prepares Frederick Ashton's "Cinderella."

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In a rehearsal last week, the Ballet West studio at Capitol Theatre was steaming with sweaty dancers, guest teachers, artistic staff and the ubiquitous BBC camera crew, in town to film the second season of the CW reality show "Breaking Pointe." The BBC had painted the walls blue so the cameras had a background, while the young dancers/apprentices in white leotards were lining the room in rapt attention.

[dirac]

Ballet Kelowna receives sufficient support to finish out the season.

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The company has experienced an outpouring of community support from individuals and businesses including The Canadian School of Ballet, Chris and Michelle Sorensen and the Thomas Alan Budd Foundation – each of whom has stepped forward to help Ballet Kelowna complete their season.

“Staff will donate time, and board members, sponsors and donors have dug even more deeply,” Maw said. “We would like to thank everyone involved in ensuring this six-week extension.”

[dirac]

Reviews of Sacramento Ballet's "The Great Gatsby."

The Examiner

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The party scenes at the Gatsby Mansion were just that, parties – elegant, lively, upbeat, and made an excellent backdrop for Nick the narrator to wow the crowd with his vocals. The men in their white dinner jackets and the ladies, each in their own unique brightly-colored, sparkling flapper style dress, moved about the stage with a great sense of rhythm. In the midst of the party scene, Gatsby and Daisy managed to steal away for a romantic moment.

The Sacramento Bee

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Choreographer Cunningham, celebrating 25 years as Sacramento Ballet’s co-artistic director (with wife Carinne Binda), set himself the daunting goal of making a brand new ballet based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic Jazz Age novel, “The Great Gatsby.” To say that he succeeded is an understatement. He has created not just a gift to his company, but a gift to the entire dance world. An innovative combination of dance, acting, narration and live music (by Billy Novick and his Blue Syncopators) brings the novel to life. Novick compiled and arranged the songs and created period-perfect interludes as connecting tissue. The sassy Chicago blues singer E. Faye Baker sparks the stage with each appearance.

[dirac]

The new fashion magazine CR Book's current issue features ballet.

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The issue has a major dance focus, and is set to launch on February 21 in Europe and February 28 in the states. Simply titled “Issue 2″, the glossy features ballet star Sergei Polunin and dance legend Jacques d’Amboise.

Related.

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Carine Roitfeld is releasing bits of her second CR Fashion Book today, and the Cut has an exclusive first look at her editor's letter. In keeping with Roitfeld's mission to give each issue its own tightly focused theme, she has devoted this issue to ballet — an art form she has explored personally during the past few years, although perhaps more for her butt's benefit than anyone else's.

[dirac]

The Bolshoi threatens a lawsuit against Nikolai Tsiskaridze.

The New York Times

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Mr. Tsiskaridze said he believed that Russian officials should replace the ballet’s leadership......

He also repeated his skepticism that Mr. Filin had actually been splashed with acid, saying there was no evidence of the awful burns you would expect in such a crime. “The point is that acid is a very dangerous thing, and if you have studied chemistry or read about other incidents of this kind, you must know that there are always horrible consequences, and right away he was shown with his face uncovered,” he said. “If a person is speaking and giving interviews right away, it all looks very strange.”

Related.

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Tsiskaridze, who denies involvement in the attack, accused Filin of seeking to turn one of his pupils against him in December by offering her a part in Swan Lake if she stopped taking lessons with him, a proposal he says she refused. He also said he doubted the official version of the assault because if acid had been used, Filin would have had more severe injuries.

Related.

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In a Moscow cafe, I meet one of the Bolshoi's biggest stars, principal dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze. He has clashed before with his bosses. Now, he says the management of the ballet company is trying to force him out.

"It's like being back in the days of Josef Stalin," Tsiskaridze tells me. "They're organising meetings against me, they're trying to force staff to sign letters condemning me - they tried that last week. But all the ballet teachers in the Bolshoi refused to sign it."

ABC News report and transcript.

[dirac]

Reports from the Milwaukee Ballet's Genesis International Choreography Competition.

Journal Sentinel

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Chances are good that the decision on a winner, which includes audience ballots, will be close.

Each of the three well-crafted, inventive pieces played to the strengths of the dancers, and each established a distinct style and character.

Third Coast Digest

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Lauren Edson, James Gregg and Gabrielle Lamb all made very good dances. They shared a fondness for fairly brief bits of music (all recorded), from varied sources but leaning toward post-Minimal and strains of pop and rock. Otherwise the dances had little in common and were markedly distinct, save for the requirements for four men and four women in each piece and length in the 20-minute range.

[dirac]

Q&A with Lucien Postlewaite and Noelani Pantastico.

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Alice Kaderlan: When Lucien got to Monte Carlo, It had been 5 years since you’d danced Romeo et Juliette together. What has it been like to do it together again?

Lucien: Noe had been dancing it with other partners, so she has been doing it a certain way. For me, it felt like going home.


Noelani: We didn’t rehearse it very much because it fits like a glove. But it does feel different because I’m very “Maillot” now and it shows in the work.

[dirac]

A review of Carolina Ballet by Roy C. Dicks in The News & Observer.

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Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s 2000 “December Songs” uses seven selections from Broadway composer Maury Yeston’s song cycle of the same name. The setting is a park bench, where a young woman (Broadway star and Raleigh native Lauren Kennedy) sings of love lost and hoped for, as dancers play out the situations.

Read more here: http://www.newsobser...l#storylink=cpy

[dirac]

A preview of Ballet Arizona's "Romeo and Juliet."

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The ideal borders on the metaphysical. Achieving it — or approaching it, rather — requires a mix of technical expertise and intuitive artistry.

It all begins with the score. “I completely dissect it,” breaking down harmonic progressions and musical phrasing into detailed notes, Andersen explains. “I almost never use them, but going over it helps me understand the music in a more structural way.”

[dirac]

A new Ballet Arizona scholarship is named for David Hallberg.

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Born in South Dakota, Hallberg moved with his family to Phoenix at age 9 and studied for four years at the School of Ballet Arizona under Kee-Juan Han, whom he credits with nurturing his passion for dance. The David Hallberg Scholarship for Boys, announced late last month, aims to do the same for future generations of dancers.

[dirac]

A review of WA Ballet by Jenny Ringland for Perth Now.

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As the sun sets and the stars appear against a backdrop of sheer rock face, reality begins to feel like a distant memory.

The opening night of this year's offering from Western Australian Ballet began as soon as the well-heeled crowd began to trickle in. With no curtain or warm-up studio the dancers are on stage stretching lithe limbs, wearing a mish -mash of layered sweat gear. There is a mood of nonchalance, however don't be fooled, every plie and arabesque is all part of the intimate show.

[dirac]

Benjamin Millepied receives an assist from Van Cleef & Arpels for his new piece.

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The music for “Reflections” has been composed by David Lang. Costume and stage design will be handled by American artist Barbara Kruger.

Millepied is no stranger to luxury labels. In July 2011 he became the face of Yves Saint Laurent’s “L’Homme Libre” fragrance.