10 replies to this topic

[dirac]

An interview with Boris Eifman, with a link to the "Rodin" trailer.

Quote

“I have great admiration for George Balanchine (a fellow alumnus of the St. Petersburg school) and the way his ballets are guided by the music. I have another vision. For me the movement is a reflection of emotions in the soul. My passion is to shape those emotions.

“Of course I build my conception taking inspiration from music but in combination with the emotions I bring to class.”

[dirac]

A story on Balanchine in Los Angeles and local troupes performing his work by Victoria Looseleaf in The New York Times.

Quote

Another Los Angeles troupe seeking to lay claim to part of Balanchine’s legacy is the American Contemporary Ballet, now in its second season. The 10-member company is directed by the choreographer Lincoln Jones, a native Angeleno who returned here in 2010 after spending seven years performing and teaching in New York......

“Dance is fairly limited as a storytelling medium, but as a musical one that works in a visual realm, it’s unlimited,” Mr. Jones said in an interview. “It was Balanchine’s realization of this — and his development of its musical vocabulary, aside from the works themselves — that was his greatest contribution.”

[dirac]

The latest installment of Sara Mearns'  video blog for The Huffington Post, "Barre None."

Quote

...... But what about in between? Have I left myself enough breathing room? Have I given myself time to just chill out and not be on the go mentally as well as physically? The answer is generally no. I get so wrapped up in the excitement of my new ventures and in my future that I start to neglect the here and now. A year ago, this is what got me into trouble: I lost my direction -- which was right in front of me -- because I was so focused on the three to six months ahead of me. These past few days have been a rough lesson for me both mentally and emotionally. I basically crashed. I think there was so much hype and excitement about my return to the stage -- which hasn't really died down -- that I got caught up in the storm. I started second guessing my dancing and asked myself if my technique and presence on stage was what everyone was expecting when this should have been the last thing on my mind.

.

[dirac]

A review of the Milwaukee Ballet in 'Swan Lake' by Elaine Schmidt in the Journal-Sentinel.

Quote

Thursday's opening performance was built of deeply expressive dancing from the company's leading artists and beautifully disciplined corps work, set amid richly detailed sets and character-defining costumes.

Artistic director Michael Pink cut, pasted and trimmed Tchaikovsky's four-act "Swan Lake" score to manageable two-act length. The patchwork score, comprised of bits and pieces of the ballet in and out of traditional order, somehow flowed beautifully in this telling of the story.

[dirac]

A review of the Boston Ballet in "Coppelia" by Jeffrey Gantz in The Boston Globe.

Quote

  Before it’s all over, Swanilda, caught snooping in Coppélius’s workshop, has to pretend to be Coppélia, so in a sense the doll does come to life. This is the most light-hearted (though never lightweight) ballet in the classical repertory, and the 1974 George Balanchine version that Boston Ballet has just opened at the Boston Opera House is engaging throughout, with high-spirited performances Thursday night from a boyish Jeffrey Cirio as Frantz and a unnervingly doll-like Misa Kuranaga as Swanilda.

[dirac]

A review of Nashville Ballet in 'Macbeth' by Amy Stumpfl for The Tennessean.

Quote

But don’t let the sparse studio staging fool you — there’s nothing stripped down about the gorgeous performances and striking theatricality of this “Macbeth.”

Christopher Stuart anchors the production, capturing the title character’s inner turmoil and inevitable corruption with every movement and gesture. It’s interesting to note that Stuart served as choreographer for Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s splendid production of “Macbeth” in January, and this performance certainly denotes solid acting instincts.

[dirac]

The first 3D ballet broadcast takes place next month, presented by the Mariinskywith an assist from James Cameron.

Quote

The performance is scheduled for June 6th when Ekaterina Kondaurova will ‘dance the role of Odette/Odile in Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”‘. The Ballet performance will be made available in 50 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, United States, South America, along with a few other regions.

[dirac]

A review of New York City Ballet by Brian Seibert in The New York Times.

Quote

The reason for the presence of “Sophisticated Lady” on Thursday night’s program at the David H. Koch Theater, during City Ballet’s American Music Festival, would seem to be its music, by Duke Ellington. Yet the dance is an insult to one of America’s greatest composers. Ellington and his sidekick, Billy Strayhorn, were also great orchestrators, but Mr. Martins’s ballet uses orchestrations by André Kostelanetz that turn the music into supper-club mush.

[dirac]

A preview of Sacramento Ballet's upcoming programs by Jim Carnes for Sacramento Press.

Quote

Instead of looking back, as one might do when celebrating a 25th anniversary, Ron Cunningham of the Sacramento Ballet seems always to look forward. The latest ballet company production is Modern Masters Proteges, in which Cunningham invited three former dancers with the Sacramento Ballet to create new works for it. Jared Nelson, a Yuba City native who, after a stint with the local company, has danced for about a dozen years with the Washington Ballet...

[dirac]

Q&A with Boris Eifman.

Quote

This has been described as a "psychological" ballet. What does that mean?

What is psychological for me is the body language. It’s such a strong instrument that humans have. What is the soul? What is inside of us? I think this can be explained by movement. A psychological ballet can explore human expression. Not only what is going on with the exterior, but what is happening on the interior. What is going on inside, and how do we express this? This is a style I have developed my whole life.

[dirac]

An item in brief featuring Laurretta Summerscales, with photo gallery.

Quote

She gained attention in ENB's Giselle in 2010, then won this year's Emerging Dancer Competition People's Choice Award. Surely it's time for a big promotion?