sandik

Gordon Anthony made some remarkable photos of dance artists at that time, and especially of Fonteyn. You can tell from his comments how much sympathy he has with her artistry.

Does anyone know more about this event than the website currently lists? Performances are just a couple months away, and there's no substantial information about programming that I can find, beyond this statement: "The Joyce’s annual Ballet Festival is curated by Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, who has invited several artists associated with The Royal Ballet to construct programs based on the theme of collaboration. Program A, crafted by O’Hare, features works by Fredrick Ashton, Merce Cunningham, and Royal Ballet company choreographers. Program B is shaped by and features Royal Ballet principal Lauren Cuthbertson, who performs choreography by Canada’s Robert Binet and more. Frequent Royal Ballet designer Jean-Marc Puissant hand-picks works for Program C, and Royal Ballet principal Edward Watson performs in and selects dances for Program D." The idea is an interesting one -- we see the Royal here in the US infrequently, and then, usually in their warhorse mode, so programming based on some other aspects of their aesthetic could be fascinating, but if they want to generate some buzz, they need to give people something to work with.

62, so I'm still getting there. I saw a dancework last weekend with a score of Nancy Sinatra songs, and have been thinking about the difference between popular singers working with a small ensemble and with a larger, more orchestral sound. For quite a long time, we were accustomed to hearing the human voice in a guitar-based, rock and roll context, making a big distinction between that and a classical, operatic/classical recital environment. Even in musical theater, the mix of popular song and orchestral accompaniment felt vintage somehow, rather than a choice that artists could make today. But that's been changing -- especially with the advent of synthsizers (and their ability to create almost any sound imaginable) people are experimenting all over the place, and audiences are hearing a wider mix than we did in my "youth."

Oh no, dead center in my times!

If I remember correctly, Springsteen's Nebraska album had a similar "total art work" sense to it.

I will be very interested to see how this project develops!

More likely what that means is that a last minute decision will be made depending on how they are doing on the day.

Heard the NPR obit earlier today -- talked about the voluptuous nature of most of his productions. I remember when the R+J premiered -- all the young women at my junior high school rushed to see it, and were totally bowled over.

I've had similar feelings about Dawson -- he's working with a classical vocabulary while stretching (and in some cases just plain ignoring) classical conventions.

Firstly, many thanks for this report -- everything I've read about this performance has made me sad that I couldn't be there. Re: the fickle nature of props. Yes, the only thing you can really depend on is that you cannot depend on them. I cannot tell you how sad it makes me to see Facade, Daphnis, and Ondine referred to as "neglected ballets." In general, dance is careless with its past, and it makes me nuts.

Thanks for the full quotation here -- as a culture, we're in the middle of a big language switch to go along with changes/improvements in our overall awareness of equity and fairness. I imagine we've all seen examples of this in all aspects of our lives, from the variety of acknowledgement statements in official documents and speech, through what I think of as the dance of the pronouns and other labels. Like many of us, I don't want to lose the foundational works of the past, but I understand that they do have deep flaws that we need to recognize. In an intersectional world, it can be a challenge to deal with this kind of Venn diagram (sexisim and racism and human trafficking), but I applaud ABT for making some good first steps here. And now, I'm going back to watch the Instagram video of Simkin again.

Florida has been working on their dance line for quite some time -- currently, they're one of the more active dance publishers in the US.

Darn -- she's been integral to their style.

Oh snap! Friends of mine were in that same neighborhood recently, and heard stories about Bono and family -- apparently he's a great dad when he's home, and makes really good toast for friends.

Honestly, it had slipped my mind. For those in my situation, it's on offer on the Oxford site for about $35 US, which is still an amazing price, especially in comparison to the Wiley book on Ivanov, which is listed next -- it costs $275. But it is a reprint, so it's extra fuss. I'm going for the bargain!

As I understand it, this is a sad combination of timing and money. The current editorial team has been working on this project for a number of years, and though the quality of the writing has remained high, they have not been able to increase the subscriber base in such a way to cover the costs of production. Fixed costs like printing and mailing have gone up, and although they still pay writers, all the other tasks that are required to put out a print publication are done by volunteers. While they have officially put the publication "on hiatus," I do not know what it might take to bring it back.

I'm so glad that this work is getting some performances -- it's a key element in Tharp's development as a choreographer. I can't remember which critic referred to the two different groups as "teams" in the original performances, but several people noticed a kind of Sharks and Jets thing going on. The solo woman who performs long classical phrases was originated by Pamela Nearhoof (I think -- can't find book to confirm) -- they are danced in alphabetical order, I think from the Gail Grant dictionary. Tharp has always relished making these kind of interconnected references. ABT has gone through multiple "glory days," and will likely have many more, unless disaster strikes.

My double issue came in the mail today -- this is just so sad.

Pacific Northwest Ballet has performed this version in the past -- it's very over the top, and thoroughly enjoyable.

What she said -- it's a great program for seeing a wide swath of the company in one show. I'm angling to see Foster and Porretta, because they're retiring, but I also want to catch Angelica Generosa, who is on her way up -- she's had some really wonderful performances this year (including a lovely debut in Sleeping Beauty).

I saw a notice to writers earlier this spring, but didn't want to say anything until they made a general announcement. I was worried when they said they were cutting back to two issues/year, but didn't think they would go dark entirely quite this quickly. They've been a home for some of the best English-language writing about dance since they first launched -- I will miss their contribution to the field.

Thanks for posting this link here -- I don't see the FT on a regular basis. Crowd-sourcing has become a regular part of small organization budgets, but I hadn't really heard much about its affect on larger institutions.

Glad you spoke up!

Let us know what you've been seeing, and what you think about it.

Thanks for this link -- it sounds like SFB has put a great deal of thought into developing this program. Pacific Northwest Ballet has been presenting new works by company members, made on professional division students, for several years now, and just this year started a composition class for upper division women in the school, but it looks like SFB has a more integrated program here. Hoping to see these kind of projects replicated all over!