Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Mike

Member
  • Posts

    8
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never
  1. (formerly eWolf) I saw Divertimento for the first time Saturday night (I’ve seen the Andante on video) and I thought it was wonderful. It was just what I needed after standing through the dull Cinderella at ABT earlier in the day. The only criticism I have of the performance itself is that the corps lines looked very crooked in spots. Otherwise I thought everyone danced well. I was disappointed that Alexandra Ansanelli couldn’t dance, but I agree with liebs about Carla Korbes; I thought she was stunning. She’s a beautiful dancer with real stage presence. As for the rest of the program, I think Ash is the most watchable of Martins’ hyperactive ballets. At any rate I could see some logic to the choreography. With the other Martins ballets of this type (Fearful Symmetries, Slonimsky’s Earbox, e.g.), I usually can’t; the steps seem to me as if they could have been made for any fast, pounding music. That wasn’t a problem with Ash, and though it isn’t really to my taste, I thought it was kind of fun to watch. And I liked the pale turquoise (or whatever color it was) lighting. I agree with liebs about Stravinsky Violin Concerto too. I thought it looked a little flat Saturday night. Tuesday’s performance was much sharper, in my opinion. To add something to what Drew said about the attendance: The Fourth Ring was as close to empty as I’ve ever seen it Saturday night, and Tuesday, opening night and an all-Balanchine program, wasn’t much better. [ 05-06-2001: Message edited by: Mike ]
  2. No, I saw her dance Duo a couple of weeks ago. My reaction was about the same as Drew's, though somewhat less eloquent. I believe "Wow" was the way I put it when the curtain came down. Luckily no one seemed to notice. I thought it was an amazing performance.
  3. Thank you, Leigh, for the information, and thank you, Manhattnik, for mentioning the Research Collection in your post. [This message has been edited by eWolf (edited January 23, 2001).]
  4. I know this is a real rookie's question, but could somebody tell me where the Dance Research Collection is and who has access to it? Thanks.
  5. I have mixed feelings about this ballet. I enjoyed it very much; in fact, I left the theater feeling exhilarated, my mind filled with Wheeldon's dazzlingly inventive images. Yet, as much as I tried, I couldn't look at all of that fabulous choreography and see a coherent ballet in it. The ballet looked to me like some cold exercise in creating novel combinations of steps and body movements, wonderful to watch, but ultimately unsatisfying, like eating an extremely tasty meal, but being just as hungry at the end as you were when you sat down to eat. It was a first impression, of course, and the chances are pretty good that I just didn't understand what Wheeldon was up to. But not understanding ballets is kind of a hobby of mine; I'm quite good at it, in fact. From this one, though, I came away with the feeling that there just wasn't much to understand, that there was nothing to wrestle with or think about, the way there is with most Balanchine ballets. It left me with the impression that no matter how many times I see it, the whole will never be more than a collection of discrete parts. It's worth seeing, in fact it's brilliant to look at. But to me it was a cold brilliance, and I wanted it to be a lot more.
  6. That's a really funny story. I'm probably the easiest person in the world to embarrass in public. I would have let him nod off and then left during intermission.
  7. Do you think you could fax a copy of that page to The New York State Theater, The Metropolitan Opera House, and City Center? Seriously, I'm glad that this at least has shown up on the radar screen. I don't even take my seat anymore at NYCB unless I go with someone. When I'm alone, I buy my seat through my Fourth Ring Society membership (cheaper than standing room) and grab one of the seats at the very top (the last few rows are usually empty), partly to avoid this problem. If I do have to sit in the seat I bought because the theater is sold out, and I get a leaner in front of me, I ask them politely to sit back in their seat. But I'd rather avoid the situation entirely.
  8. In my experience adults are by far the worse offenders. I can't think of one instance where my enjoyment of a performance was ruined, or anything even close to it, by a child talking. Talkative adults, on the other hand, are all too common. There was a cartoon in, I think, The New Yorker some time back that showed a couple leaving Avery Fisher Hall. The man says to the woman, "The music was so loud I could barely hear myself talk!" A lot of people who should know better go to performing arts events with just that attitude. And I'm glad Giannina mentioned people who lean forward in their seats. Sitting properly is so important a part of theatre etiquette that I think it should be mentioned in the pre-performance announcement. Or maybe written on the back of the seats in really small print. Something like, "If you're close enough to read this, you're blocking the view of the person sitting behind you. Sit Back!"
×
×
  • Create New...