sandik

Katherine Sorley Walker's "De Basil's Ballet Russe" might be one place to start.

That (Bejart) could be quite exciting, but if they don't tell anyone when it's happening, it's going to be a hard sell. 

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."

12 hours ago, Buddy said:

"Nebraska” — 1982, I just read. Almost 40 years ago. Wow !

Way before my times. Your’s too, I’m sure.  😊

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.

3 hours ago, pherank said:

"Dawson ... Few choreographers have the courage to let their dance say it all and Dawson has a way of both flattening and expanding classical movement, creating his own unique style, but without ever losing the essential foundation and imagery of classicism. I, for one, would like to see more of his work here in his homeland.

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.

On 6/10/2019 at 5:10 PM, Ashton Fan said:

At this performance the egg  protecting the soul of the immortal Kostchei did not disintegrate before Ivan Tsarevich had dashed it to the ground as happened at Kish's debut in the role. In my experience this is a rare event and it is far more common to see the egg resolutely refuse to break when it is dashed to the floor. 

....

In between we saw excerpts from neglected ballets such as Façade,  Daphnis and Chloe and Ondine and some such as Sylvia which have come back into favour of late.

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.

12 hours ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

The statement itself doesn’t mention orientalism. This is the meat of it (there’s an intro bit about the artistic value of the ballet):

”as you prepare to experience ABT’s production of this classical ballet, we want to acknowledge the challenging subject matter depicted: slavery, piracy, and the subjugation of women. The original version of Le Corsaire premiered over 160years ago and is loosely based on Lord Byron’s 1814 epic poem of pirates, Pashas, and damsels in distress. it is situated in a time and place where slavery and polygamy were driving forces of the Economic and social landscape.

many great classics depict the disturbing social norms of bygone eras. In our Corsaire, ABT has chosen to adjust certain scenes in tone and character out of respect for those whose lives and stays were marginalized. There may still be images some find offensive but we hope our audience members will be transported to the period in which it is set and realize such scenes are a reflection, not a validation, of life in those times.”  

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.

3 hours ago, FauxPas said:

"Deuce Coupe" was a collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet and the Tharp company.  It is a very early exploration by Tharp in combining classical steps with modern.  The two styles aren't completely blended.  Each Beach Boys song is linked to a classical academic step or combination.  Usually a solo ballerina - Christine Schevchenko - dances the classical step while the modern dancers jive and boogie to the Beach Boys.  The songs were prerecorded and yes, it sounded canned.  Misty again did very well in several solos and combinations.  James Whiteside brought down the house with a song that was deliberately speeded up and his movements became increasingly spastic and distorted.  I seriously love Whiteside when he is outside of the classical danseur box.  Very versatile artist.

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.

3 hours ago, abatt said:

The Glory Days of ABT are long gone.  They had an amazing roster back in 2000.  I'm happy I was able to see the company so often during the height of its artistry.   I doubt we'll be seeing that level of artistic triumph again in this company anytime soon.

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.

2 hours ago, Xiaoyi said:

Casting for The Merry Widow:

https://national.ballet.ca/Productions/2018-19-Season/The-Merry-Widow

 

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).

On 5/28/2019 at 6:04 PM, nanushka said:

Thanks, @miliosr. That's really disappointing. It looks like the notice is dated May 10, but I never received anything.

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.

On 5/24/2019 at 5:37 PM, bellawood said:

I’ve lurked on this board for a long time, but the Ashley Bouder squeak-gate discussion made me register! It’s been driving me crazy since September. For the record, she did not have squeaky shoes Thursday in the first movement of Brahms Schoenberg with Russell—and it was also a much more successful performance than the one last Wednesday. Russell in particular looked more relaxed— his shoulders can get very high. 

...

Glad you spoke up!