ronny Posted November 9, 2002 Share Posted November 9, 2002 A contemporary dance presentation "Gaelforce Dance", choreographer Richard Griffin will air Sunday Nov. 17 according to my PBS schedule. Just thought I should post this... gotta be "alert", don't want to miss anything! Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted November 9, 2002 Share Posted November 9, 2002 Thanks for the "heads up", ronny! PBS, now THAT my cable carries!;) Link to comment
vagansmom Posted November 15, 2002 Share Posted November 15, 2002 I wonder if this is the same troupe that I saw perform last spring. They were yet another Irish ala Flatley performing group with a blonde male star, token "ballet dancer" (you will see for yourself). Despite numerous weaknesses in both presentation and plot, I have to admit I liked some of the Irish choreography more than I thought I would. They tried something new, albeit just a LITTLE bit here and there, even though they were obviously clawing at that bandwagon. Now if these Celtic-themed shows would just lose the notion that they have to have a ballet dancer in their midst...or, if they can't get rid of that notion, please, please let them hire a REAL ballet dancer. I don't know whether to hope this PBS event WILL be the same troupe or not! Link to comment
vagansmom Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 Did anyone see this? We lost power Sat. night from the nor'easter and are still without power (I'm posting from work). Was it the Irish troupe? Link to comment
ronny Posted December 3, 2002 Author Share Posted December 3, 2002 Yes, it was the Irish troop. And I have to say that I liked the choreography also, especially in the first joyful 10 minutes. I was completely thrilled with the dance until the plot started to take a dark turn. But I sure did like the first few minutes, it reminded me very much of a great ballet, but after that, they just lost me. These "dark" plots... I just don't get that part. But that's probably just me. If I go to a performance, I want to leave happy and uplifted. I don't mind darkness in the plot, but when darkness dominates, it just doesn't seem right to me. Sorry this response is so late, but I have been focused on a project and haven't been "checking the mail". Link to comment
vagansmom Posted December 3, 2002 Share Posted December 3, 2002 Speaking of darkness, that's literally where I was when this performance aired. We were in the midst of an ice storm and had no power so I never did get to see it. I used to be annoyed at the silly plots of these various Irish dance troupes till it dawned on me that they're no worse, really, than those of the story ballets. Many of the Irish ones are based on ancient Celtic tales or loosely based on some characters in them. And the Irish are quite famous for telling both the bawdy and the dark, usually at the same time. I'm glad you found this to be a likeable troupe too. I seem to recall, from the live performance last spring, that the darkhaired leads - male and female - were exceptionably good dancer. Link to comment
ronny Posted December 4, 2002 Author Share Posted December 4, 2002 Oh boy! ICE, I remember it well! I'm in a remote area so we get outages too, about once a month... but I got lucky this time. Too bad you missed it. With reference to these silly story plots though... the thing is, they can be quite powerful, even though they may seem unbelievable on the surface. Silly plot may be just "boiliing" complex things down to the essence... so they may not be like everyday life, but sometimes they can touch some very deep cords. (this is just an opinion of mine, it's just what I see in them) It's this power in a silly plot that interests me. I would like that power to be used to "uplift" rather than to depress people. To me, the uplifting things are the spiritual things and are closer to the deepest truths in life. I really would like to see ballet plots be used to help remind people of their own true lofty dignity as human beings. We all get into dark things, and as for me, I don't need any help in that area !!... I'd rather have some inspiration on the other side, the nice side. This is what I see in the great classics, they are so wonderful in this area... They uplift people, Sleeping Beauty is wonderful, as is the Nuts and all the versions of Swan Lake I have seen show a triumph over darkness. Coppelia and La Fille Mal Gardee are happy and wonderful. Yes, I really did like this Irish troop. All they need now is an uplifting story plot and that would make the whole thing worth while. They have everything else, they have the choreography they have the talent and the energy... all they need is a nice story. Enough of this dark stuff:D Link to comment
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