7 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A review of Tulsa Ballet by James D. Watts Jr. for Tulsa World.

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Much like the Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 that is its score, Possokhov's work takes all the elements of classical ballet and presents them in a way that can be taken as a straight homage, or a modernist interpretation, or a flat-out parody.

Classical postures and combinations of steps get twisted suddenly, surprisingly out of shape. The angular, perpendicular line of the body is held off-kilter, or undulates in a very non-classical way. Common pirouettes become bizarre and fascinating feats of strength and balance.

[dirac]

Atlanta Ballet will perform work by Ohad Naharin for the first time.

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McFall’s gambit to get Naharin’s work to Atlanta was not an outrageous one, just gutsy, especially since McFall wanted to strike a three-year partnership with the choreographer as part of a plan to build the company’s artistry and brand as one that embraces bold, athletic dance. A troupe, in other words, that could possibly attract new, younger audiences while not alienating the loyal, white-haired one.

[dirac]

Speculation on the future of the Bolshoi Ballet in the wake of the Filin affair by Boer Deng in The Atlantic.

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History and lingering popular sentiments tether the institution to the state more than any other cultural venue, even if ideologically speaking, neither is much use to the other. Though Putin's own insistence on machismo makes clear his disinterest in cultivating the ballet, it is a subject impossible for his government to ignore.

"It's a petrol economy now, but oil isn't something that brings people together," Tim Scholl, a scholar of Russian ballet at Oberlin College, told me. "If you ride a cab in Moscow, the cab drivers are still talking to you about ballet."

[dirac]

The Great Lakes Youth Ballet hosts an event featuring art and dance.

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Snow will also be working with students during the summer intensive in July as well. Students will perform a piece while creating art images with their bodies.

Paintings created at the events will be available for sale and will benefit Great Lakes Youth Ballet. Donations are encouraged but not required.

[dirac]

Reviews of the Royal Ballet in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

The Independent

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Too many dancers are weighed down by their characters, or by overextended scenes. The Duchess’s cottage is terrifying, a kitchen full of dead pigs and meat grinders, given extra menace by the blare of Joby Talbot’s score. Beyond the gruesome setting, though, Gary Avis’s Duchess doesn’t have much to do.

The Times

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The ballet has been reshaped and improved since its first appearance in 2011 and is all the better for it. It’s sparkier and perkier, has more momentum and packs a greater romantic punch (though it could benefit from a trim in the third act).

But you can see why audiences lap up the comedy, the colour and the phantasmagorical love story at its heart.

[dirac]

Photo gallery of Miami City Ballet in rehearsal.

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The performance is an interactive show and discussion with live dance and music examining the works of Frédéric Chopin

[dirac]

A review of the National Ballet of Canada's "Romeo and Juliet" by Denise Sum for danceviewtimes.

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Ratmansky's "Romeo and Juliet" does away with traditional mime and instead tells the story almost purely through steps -- and there are a lot of them. He is a choreographer who clearly understands his craft -- what comes across well in movement and what does not. His complex crowd scenes are a strength, highlighted in Acts I and II. They are busy, but not random. Sub-groups of dancers pick up different threads in Prokofiev's wonderful, layered music. He gives the corps dancers a lot of challenging choreography to work with.

[dirac]

Reviews of Pacific Northwest Ballet's "Modern Masterpieces" program. (Thanks to sandik for the links!)

The Seattle Times

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Local choreographer/PNB ballet master Paul Gibson’s “Mozart Dances” made its world premiere on this program, and the programming didn’t do his ballet any favors; what still-emerging choreographer would want to be compared to Balanchine, Dove and Tharp? “Mozart Dances,” Gibson’s fifth work for PNB, is a pleasant, agreeable diversion, costumed prettily and danced with flair (the long-limbed duo of Lindsi Dec and Karel Cruz stood out), but it’s more a thoughtful exercise than a work of art. It’s a piece that dances on the front porch of creativity, you might say; not quite yet entering the upper room where the other works from this magical evening resided.

ARTDISH

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But the evening, taken as a whole, served a bigger purpose for PNB, and for its audiences. When Peter Boal arrived in Seattle to take over artistic leadership of the company, he said he wanted to build on what Founding Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell had created. While PNB presented dances by many choreographers, the company’s repertoire was focused on the work of Stowell, and of George Balanchine. Specifically Boal wanted Northwest audiences to gain familiarity with other choreographers: Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp and Ulysses Dove, to name just three....

The SunBreak

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Footwork comes to the fore in Mozart Pieces by Paul Gibson, set to excerpts from Mozart symphonies and minuets; it’s a world premiere, which makes it modern, if a bit early to be deemed a masterpiece, but it’s a constantly diverting piece, with seven roles for men of the nine total....