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fiddleback

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  1. Below is a review of Ib Andersen's Rite of Spring, written by Carol Schilling. Rite of Spring runs through Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the DBG.

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    Ib Andersen’s 21st century choreography to Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring opened last night at the Desert Botanical Garden, and if there was ever a broad statement about the history of man and this Earth to be seen on the dance stage, this is it. If you want comfort, this is not it. If you want to think deeply, this performance will give you lots to reflect upon.

    It was, in a few words, rivetingly beautiful, apocalyptic, deeply uncomfortable, but at the end faintly hopeful.

    The entire company is on stage much of the time but the stand-out star of the performance is the backdrop created for this presentation. Three flat mountains stand at the back edge of the stage, echoing the Papago Buttes which lie across Galvin Parkway from the Garden. The stage mountains capture the electronic graphics that from the first one of these ballets-in-the-garden eleven years ago have played to great effect off the Papago Buttes and the iconic desert trees in the middle distance.

    In this presentation, however, the stage mountains trap the moving and changing light display and hold it at stage’s edge. In the first half of the performance, “Now,” they reflect images reminiscent of ancient temples, paragraphs of written words, faces captured in a miasma of sliding color and shapes, exploding bits that spread from left to right over the stage.

    In the second half, “Then,” the stage mountains display an ashen world, reduced to empty space of undulating sand interspersed with the echoes of—can it be?—saguaros, followed by stark images of destroyed concrete buildings, broken and awry. The paired dancing of Jillian Barrell and Helio Lima in exquisite, matching steps through a colorless emptiness is heartbreakingly beautiful.

    Even the names of the two acts—"Now”and “Then”—reflect Andersen’s clever mind: “Then” does not mean, as one would first assume, to past times but instead to the future.

    Let’s talk about the dancers of Ballet Arizona. Frankly speaking, there are no superstars, but they are pretty good and Andersen’s choreography makes them better than they are. In this case, as did the great Balanchine in his early days in New York, Andersen does not feature individual performances, but knits together the entire company on stage for most of the performance, dancing in small groups and large groups—occasionally divided into male and female (almost double the men) sections. They dance together impeccably in unison, mastering complicated maneuvers as one. Pairs of dancers run up the ramps onto the stage or leave quietly, remaking the evolving dancer combinations into endless combinations of form and shape, intricate and complicated, piling so quickly one after another that it is hard for a mind to take it in.

    Don’t look for the spectacle of 54 pirouettes in a row that brings audiences to their feet, but instead admire the bulky handling of ballerinas who are picked up, carried around the stage, even slowly twirled like a windmill. There is, mercifully, very little rolling around on the stage although there is a plethora of extraordinary body movement, contortion, and dancing on those tippy toes.

    Themes you don’t generally expect in ballet appear in Andersen’s Rite of Spring. One riveting sequence features what one can only interpret as the have-nots of our human society crawling and creeping in a dim-lit back row like serviles struggling for air and life while the gleaming have-lots frolic tall and upright in front, basking in visibility and self-comfort.

    In 1913 when The Rite of Spring was first performed in Paris with choreography by the famous Nijinsky, it caused a riot. That choreography was performed only eight times, but the ballet and the music changed the world. The music, harsh and dissonant, unmelodic and at times frightening, has much to say. Ib Andersen said he was initially afraid to tackle such music—its size and power and scope and complexity—until he dreamed it last summer. Moving it outdoors into the Sonoran Desert seems to me the only place big enough to encompass the music, and at the same time comforting enough to endure the message.

    Although Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring refers to a pagan annual ritual involving the sacrifice of a beautiful young woman to persuade the gods to bring the world back into bloom, Andersen’s Rite of Spring refers to our self-destructive world of humanity which today faces factional hatreds played out in politics, shootings, wars, die-off of animal species, global warming, artificial intelligence blurring the lines of what is real and what is unreal. At the end of the production, Andersen’s magic allows strange, almost comical leaves to pop out of the scenery and grow into giant plants, life trying to return to a destroyed world.

    Let us speak about the costumes which were designed by Andersen with fabric that he himself painted. In “Now” the dancers all wear tighty shinies--paired on the women with muted and multicolored tops--outfits which from the bleacher rows glisten while showing off the glorious muscled tone of the dancer bodies. In “Then” all the dancers wear a uniform of body suits in a color that stage lighting changes from aqua to sage and reminds you of what the astronauts wear when floating around in their spaceships.

    Now, big picture: Did we talk about genius? Who would tackle such a powerful theme other than a man in his prime of creation, solid in his mastery of all things ballet and confident enough to design the costumes and choreography and oversee the sets and lighting designs for a piece of music 110 years old? Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring was not created for comfort or pleasure but it speaks today for reality, for contemporary commentary, for the apocalyptic horrors of the world present.

    In a pre-premiere talk, Andersen said in his typical understated way that his Rite of Spring is complicated. He invited the audience to come back to see it a “second time, a third time, a fourth time.” There are layers of meaning to discover in this uncomfortable piece that is a deep conversation with the mind of Ib Andersen. Like Nijinsky’s ballet a century ago, this may be seen only during its run at the Desert Botanical Garden. Don’t miss it. You may have bad dreams, but you’ll remember it forever.

                                                                                                                    --Carol Schilling

    Carol and Randy Schilling have been among Ballet Arizona’s foremost supporters over the years, and they were the visionaries who were most responsible for bringing ballet to the DBG eleven years ago. Without their vision, determination, and support, ballet in the desert would never have gotten off the ground. So Carol is not just a reviewer; she has been integral to this whole undertaking.

  2. buts-page-header.jpg

    Ballet Arizona kicked off its 25th(!!!) year of Ballet Under the Stars on Thursday night in Fountain Hills. The setting there is ideal -  on a grassy lawn in the performance bowl next to the lake, with the world's world's fourth-tallest fountain spewing. (Image above is from Goodyear, not Fountain HIlls.)

    I have to say that I was captivated by the excerpt from Alejandro Cerrudo’s Second to Last, performed to Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel. The juxtaposition of the slow but athletic and showy choreography against the haunting dreaminess of Mr. Pärt's music is rather exquisite. This was especially effective in Kate Loxtercamp’s sections, where her long, graceful limbs traced delicate paths against a dark background.

    Portions of a new piece (Tierra de Angeles) from newly named Resident Choreographer Nayon Iovino were also performed - to music from Astor Piazzollla. Mr. Iovino’s stagings are fascinating to watch, frequently presenting images that lodge themselves in one’s memory – difficult to adequately describe, but easy to visualize.

    And finally, the entirety of Balanchine’s Bourrée Fantasque was presented in full costume. This not-often-performed (?) ballet comprises a somewhat curious collection of three seemingly unrelated movements – a comic flirtatious one, an ‘Emeralds-esqe’ (romantic tutu’s) one, and a good ole’ grand finale - reminiscent of a circus.

    All-in-all, a great evening to re-awaken one's ballet interests after a long, hot summer – and it’s FREE!!

    Info at: https://balletaz.org/ballet-under-the-stars/

    Three performances remain:

     

  3. The School of Ballet Arizona (SBAZ) and Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO) will be presenting The Sleeping Beauty this weekend at Madison Center for the Arts in Phoenix. The collaboration between a ballet school and a youth symphony is apparently quite unique. In the following video, School Director Maria Simonetti and Youth Symphony Artistic Director Matthew Kasper discuss the production:

    https://azpbs.org/horizon/2022/06/ballet-school-and-orchestras-team-up-for-sleeping-beauty/

    This is the second year that the two organizations will be performing together. Last year, the performances were outdoors at the Desert Botanical Garden, which was already outfitted for Ib Andersen’s The Four Seasons. Curiously I was unable to locate any photos of that performance, but here’s a video showing the preparations for that event:

    Ms. Simonetti has been at BAZ since 1997. Most of that time she has served as Rehearsal Director – essentially the trusted right-hand person to AD Ib Andersen. Several years ago, she was named SBAZ Director. The BAZ website alternately lists her as either Rehearsal Director or School Director, depending on where you look – perhaps an indication of the difficulty of divorcing oneself from the long-held and key Rehearsal Director position. Either way, Maria is definitely one of the ‘glue’ people who is invaluable to the organization.

    In addition to his role at the PYSO, Mr. Kasper also serves as Resident Conductor of The Phoenix Symphony. He has also been conducting The Phoenix Symphony for Ballet Arizona since live performances restarted at Symphony Hall for the Nutcracker in 2021.

    The Sleeping Beauty can be seen at Madison Center for the Arts on June 3, 4, and 5, 2022:

    https://balletaz.org/performance/the-school-of-ballet-arizona-presents-the-sleeping-beauty/

  4. The loss of Colleen is sad beyond belief.

    I can say without the slightest bit of exaggeration that Colleen was the gentlest person that I’ve ever met. She always had a happy face and a willingness to help others – as evidenced in her generous outreach work for BAZ. We will remember her fondly and miss her dearly.

    Ballet Arizona is dedicating the remaining performances of Round:Reimagined to Colleen.

    Here’s a set of photos of Colleen from one of her fans:

    Colleen Photos

    Here's Colleen in Ib Andersen's A Midsummer Night's Dream:

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    And Colleen in Ballet Arizona's Napoli:

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  5. First and foremost, BAZ has announced:

    Please note: Due to a COVID-19 outbreak among our Dancers, Round: Reimagined For A New Stage performances for this week are canceled. If you have a ticket for a performance during the week of Wednesday, May 18 – Saturday, May 21, you may receive a full refund. Please fill out our refund form for the quickest way to receive your refund.

    To exchange your tickets for another evening’s performance, fill out our form or call our Box Office at 602-381-1096. Please be patient with longer than normal wait times or leave a voicemail for us to return your call at our earliest opportunity.

    On to notes from Opening Night:

    Round: Reimagined for a New Stage has premiered, this time on a more familiar rectangular stage, as expected. However, the last two pieces (the Bach Suite and Daphnis et Chloe) have been replaced with portions of Mr. Andersen’s plotless Mosaik from 2007. Here’s the lineup:

    Music:

    • Thomas Ades - Three Studies After Couperin: Les Amusemens
    • Thomas Ades - Three Studies After Couperin: Les Tours de Passe-Passe
    • Claude Debussy – Syrinx
    • Claude Debussy – Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun

    And, added from Mosaik:

    • Franz Schubert – Trio No. 2, Op. 100 - Andante con moto
    • Peter Ilyich Tchiakovsky – Symphony No. 6 in B minor – Allegro molto vivace

    The Schubert piece is an almost 10 minute pas de deux – sensitive and pretty reserved, but with some intense crescendos. It’s definitely worth listening to before you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nioKJNp8ADE. The Tchiakovsky piece is a rousing all-hands-on-deck, with groups sweeping on and off the stage, and forces fully massed for the finale. Seems very Balanchinesque.

    A few thoughts on the changes to the new ‘reimagined’ Round:

    • The most obvious difference is that the new Round uses the natural desert landscape as a background. Patterns are projected onto trees and saguaros behind the stage, and, even more majestically, onto the nearby sculptured Papago Buttes. And, if there happens to be a breeze, the patterns on the trees provide a lovely shimmering effect. Originally, with in-the-round seating, the diametrically opposed audience – tables and bleachers – comprised the ‘background’ – at best little noticed, while at worst a distraction.
    • Advertising for Round Reimagined… almost ubiquitously shows the skimpy silvery costumes (shown above) and/or clips from Daphnis et Chloe from the original Round. You won’t experience either in the new version.
    • One thing that may not have changed at all is Les Tours de Passe-Passe – still a favorite. All of the movements are very circular, and I suspect that the choreography is literally unchanged from the original in-the-round version; and it still works well. As a side note, it’s interesting to note that the original Couperin runs about 1 minute, whereas the Ades version runs about 4 minutes – ¼ of the original tempo! If you’re going (or have been) to Round, you might enjoy listening to the original on guitar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydrbHVfnNCk.

    Round runs through June 2, 2022 at the Desert Botanical Garden.

  6. Here’s a Juan Gabriel behind-the-scenes 5-minute video produced by the local Telemundo affiliate, mostly en español of course. It contains many studio clips (some in costume), interviews, costume shop shots and various scenes of JuanGa performing.

    It also includes an interview with the second-busiest person at BAZ, Costume Director Leonor Texidor. Ms. Texidor was responsible for fabrication of the myriad costumes for Juan Gabriel, and she also does costume design for many of Mr. Andersen’s ballets. It was a special delight on opening night to see the always-behind-the-scenes Leonor up on stage taking a bow alongside Mr. Andersen, Ms. Fernández, and the other creators.

    Items of particular interest:

    • 1:00 & 1:40 & 5:00 - Interviews (en inglés) with Mr. Andersen

    • 2:54 - Katelyn & Helio in Amor Eterno (very brief clip)

    • 3:10 – Costumes, costume shop, and interview with Ms. Texidor

    • 3:47 – Interview with Ms. Fernández

    https://www.telemundoarizona.com/noticias/local/arizona-rinde-homenaje-a-juan-gabriel/2219754/

    Also some photos from opening night:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CdPRCUmJsHL/

  7. Regarding opening night of Juan Gabriel

    First of all, as I can be long-winded, let me emphasize this: Don’t miss this show! It is unique, exceptionally good, totally enjoyable, and provides an amazing cultural bridge between classical ballet and Mexican pop culture. The cheers at Symphony Hall have never been so lengthy or so loud.

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    Just a few impressions on the opening night experience…

    • As you take your seats, you realize that you’ve arrived not at Symphony Hall, but at the Palacio de Bellas Artes – the Palacio’s colorful mural paints the back of the stage, with the silhouette of a singing Juanga superimposed. But, then again, this is also a pop concert venue - the stage is framed by exposed lighting trusses – row after row of them, studded with multicolor lighting instruments covering the sides and top of the stage. As the show starts, overhead spotlights paint roving circles of constantly changing color on the stage floor. No need or desire to hide any of this – so not a curtain, not a border, not a leg is in sight. The “set” has been constructed by simply baring the things that are normally hidden. This effect is especially effective if you sit up close; what you see is ‘walls’ of lighting instruments lining the stage.
    • A side effect of this “set” is that the stage is uniquely open – and it’s humongously wide. Mr. Andersen puts all this space to especially good effect during the ‘all cast’ pieces, by lining his extravagantly costumed dancers across the stage – all the better to ogle the gamut of Ms. Fernández’s costumes.
    • Keeping in mind that I am quite ill-equipped to describe costumes… The keywords here are variety, splendor, and authenticity. The rancher on date night wears an elaborately embroidered shirt. The rock star wears suitably glittery outfit. But it’s the ‘all cast’ outfits (photo above) that are most spectacular. Perhaps 15 different outfits, each worn by a pair of dancers – drawn from all walks of Mexican life – a cornucopia of styles, colors, and textures. These include chaste white dresses adorned with flowers, flowing iridescent tops, space-age-looking multi-layered bloomer shorts, gold lame jackets, flesh colored unitards printed with giant flowers. Photos – even videos - simply cannot to do them justice. Here’s a another hint at the variety of the costumes, but this doesn’t come close to capturing their breadth or splendor: https://www.facebook.com/balletaz/videos/3354461444838995/  And here’s a new interview with Ms. Fernández, who was in attendance on opening night: https://blog.balletaz.org/bringing-fashion-to-the-stage/
    • Projected backgrounds by Jake Pinholster and Daniel Carino provide diverse settings. For one song we see the streets of a small village, with flags or banners fluttering in the breeze. (The effect was so realistic that I had to look twice – I thought I was seeing real flags fluttering on stage in front of a projected image.) The dance with the despondent guy (mentioned above) features a dreary looking town setting with an uncannily realistic rain cascading behind the dancers.  The more spectacular ‘all cast’ pieces had abstract bubbles and kaleidoscope effects. Tasteful, effective, culturally relevant, and not overwhelming.
    • Despite the spectacle of the pop concert milieu, Mr. Andersen admirably sticks to his classical ballet roots – the women are always in point shoes and frequently on point, and the choreography is largely classical, augmented with Latin struts, saunters, sashays, and such. As one observer said, Juan Gabriel is not to be confused with ballet folklórico.
    • The ultimate delight – and irony – for me was Amor Eterno, in which a rock star in glittering outfit (Helio Lima) dances tenderly with a woman (Katelyn May) modestly attired in blouse and longish skirt. See Instagram clip here. The delight is to experience a performance which is so graceful, so poised, and so stately, that it hearkens back to Louis XIV’s la belle danse. This is accomplished only through ideal proportions of movement, posture, grace, countenance, physique, and other intangibles. Kudos to Mr. Andersen for the concept and to Helio and Katelyn for the sublime execution. (The irony, of course is to encounter such refinement in the midst of such pop spectacle.)
    • I think that BAZ does its audience a disservice by not providing the slightest bit of translation of the song (not even titles) performed. As a result, the Spanish speakers can read and understand song titles and understand song lyrics. The non-Spanish speakers are simply out-of-luck. Kudos to BAZ for adding Spanish descriptive materials to the website. Would that the translations worked both ways. But this is a nit in an otherwise compelling show.

    Don't miss out. You're unlikely to see anything else like this. The show runs through Sunday, May 8, 2022 at Phoenix Symphony Hall.

  8. About this post

    This post regarding Round is for those who, like myself, get more out of a ballet if they are at least somewhat aware of the inspirations behind it. In this case, if Greek mythology is second nature to you, or if you aren’t particularly interested in understanding what background might have influenced the choreography, then read no further. Should you be mythologically challenged, as I am, continue on…

    The Issue at Hand

    Back in 2016, the scant background in the program didn’t provide much to go on:

    • Round has “themes that explore man’s connection to nature”.
    • The list of music (listed above)

    That's it. And you had to arrive at the venue and dig through the program to even find the list of music - it wasn't available anywhere else. It wasn't then, and it isn't now.

    For some of the music, such as that of Thomas Ades, there weren’t (to me) any obvious references, and I assumed the choreography was simply abstract and inspired by the music, and I’m AOK with that. However, there were two pieces of music that had clear reference to Greek mythology, namely Debussy’s Syrinx and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé. If you came to the show with little or no awareness of either of these, then, perhaps you were missing out to some extent. My impression following the 2016 show was that many folks were a bit befuddled by it. To my way of thinking, at least a cursory familiarity with the mythology might help one identify characters and/or events. So, I can’t understand why BAZ didn't put at least some minimal description of these mythological references into the program – for those audience members who might be interested.

    The Background Information

    So, here’s the info that I dug up, and will hopefully inform my viewing this time around (no pun intended). Note that this isn’t about choreography or interpretation; it simply provides an inkling of what the composer/choreographer would have started with.

    Daphnis et Chloé, Suite #2 (Ravel)
    The first two scenes portray the courtship of Daphnis and Chloé, and the latter's abduction by, and miraculous escape from, a band of pirates. The third scene (Ravel’s Suite # 2) takes place in a grove sacred to the god Pan and begins with daybreak following the pirate's night of terror. The movements are entitled Daybreak, Pantomime, and Bacchanale:

    Morning at the grotto of the Nymphs. There is no sound but the murmur of rivulets produced by the dew that trickles from the rocks. Daphnis lies, still unconscious, at the entrance of the grotto. Gradually the day breaks. The songs of birds are heard. Far off, a shepherd passes with his flock. Another shepherd crosses in the background. A group of herdsmen enters looking for Daphnis and Chloé. They discover Daphnis and wake him. Anxiously he looks around for Chloé. She appears at last, surrounded by shepherdesses. They throw themselves into each other’s arms. Daphnis notices Chloé’s wreath. His dream was a prophetic vision. The intervention of Pan is manifest. The old shepherd Lammon explains that, if Pan has saved Chloé, it is in memory of the nymph Syrinx, whom the god once loved. Daphnis and Chloé mime the tale of Pan and Syrinx. Chloé plays the young nymph wandering in the meadow. Daphnis as Pan appears and declares his love. The nymph rebuffs him. The god becomes more insistent. She disappears into the reeds. In despair, he picks several stalks to form a flute and plays a melancholy air. Chloé reappears and interprets through her dance the accents of his flute. The dance becomes more and more animated, and in a mad whirling, Chloé falls into Daphnis’s arms. Before the altar of the Nymphs, he pledges his love, offering a sacrifice of two sheep. A group of girls enters dressed as bacchantes, shaking tambourines. Daphnis and Chloé embrace tenderly. A group of youths rushes on stage and the ballet ends with a bacchanale. - Wikipedia

    Syrinx (Debussy)

    Syrinx is a short (3 minute) piece for flute. It refers to the myth of the amorous pursuit of the nymph Syrinx by the god Pan, in which Pan falls in love with Syrinx, however, as Syrinx does not return the love to Pan, she turns herself into a water reed and hides in the marshes. Pan cuts the reeds to make his pipes, in turn killing his love.

    Takeaway

    Now, I’m certain that Mr. Andersen was NOT choreographing the story of Daphnis et Chloé, per se. (A review of the five minute video in the adjacent post makes that clear.) But he was, I suspect, inspired by the music and the story. So, armed at least with the information above I’ll be able to watch it a little bit more knowledgeably.

    P.S. In trying to wrap my head around  the ballet as a whole , I watched the Ashton version with Alina Cojocaru and Federco Bonelli, circa 2004. (You can find it on YoutTube, cut up onto several pieces.) It stuck pretty closely to the story as listed on Wikipedia, and it was fascinating to see how the familiar pieces of Ravel’s superb score were mirrored in Ashton’s choreography… Whew! This ballet stuff is hard work!

    P.P.S. I was mortified to find that the seductive Lyceion was danced by my favorite Royal Ballet dancer – it's amazing what a curly blond wig will do! I had no clue!!

  9. Ib Andersen's Round was originally performed in May of 2016 on a 38 ft. diameter circular stage. The audience was symmetrically seated on all four sides, with four ramps leading onto the stage for dancer access. This was certainly a serious choreographic undertaking – to put together a ballet that is interesting regardless of the angle from which it was seen.

    Ballet-Header-1280x427.jpg

    This time, in May 2022, the ballet has been renamed to Round: Reimagined for a New Stage, which presumably means ‘restaged for a more conventional (i.e. not round) stage’. No doubt there was a lot of extra expense driven by the round format, such as four sets of lighting towers, four sets of grandstands, complex stage and ramp layout, etc.

    Since there’s not much info available about this show (Juan Gabriel seems to absorbing all available energy), I’ll just pass along some thoughts and info about the original in-the-round Round. I’m guessing that the changes will primarily be in re-staging.

    • Music:
      • Thomas Ades - Three Studies After Couperin: Les Amusemens

      • Thomas Ades - Three Studies After Couperin: Les Tours de Passe-Passe

      • Claude Debussy – Syrinx

      • Claude Debussy – Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun

      • J.S. Bach – Suite No. 4 in E-flat, BWV1010: Sarabande

      • Maurice Ravel – Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

    • One section, to Thomas Ades light-hearted Les Tours de Passe-Passe, featured eight ballerinas around the periphery of the stage, in a delicate music-box-like sequence - perfect for the circular stage.

    • For a more enlightened description of the various parts of the ballet, see Alistair Macaulay’s review: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/arts/dance/review-arizona-ballet-performs-round-in-a-dreamy-desert-ambience.html?searchResultPosition=1

    • For a 5 minute clip of the Daphnis et Chl section, see this topic:

    Round: Reimagined for a New Stage will run for the latter half of May, 2022, at the Desert Botanical Garden:

    https://balletaz.org/performance/round-reimagined-for-a-new-stage-2022/

     

     

  10. Ballet Arizona will be bringing a “reimagined” version of Round to the Desert Botanical Garden in the latter half of May 2022. Whilst rooting around for interesting material for a new topic about the forthcoming Round, I stumbled across the most amazing video of the original Round from 2016. It was apparently an experiment in so-called “360 VR” video capture. And what better subject than a unique 360 in-the-round ballet! Apparently Manley Films placed a 360 video camera at the exact center of the round stage, and filmed about a 5 minute segment, performed to Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé.

    Here’s the video; you can pan right or left with your mouse to view the stage in any direction, looking out from the center:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRYm8Qoo5Vk

    This works properly for me on a desktop computer using an up-to-date Firefox browser. If the image that you see shows more than two light towers, and you can’t pan left or right with your mouse, then your browser isn’t doing the 360 thing properly.

    Now I will say, right off the bat, that this video was never published on Ballet Arizona’s YouTube channel. (It IS posted by Manley Films, who do BAZ’s video production.)  I’m guessing that it was filmed as an experiment, that that BAZ’s artistic team didn’t think that the result properly represented the ballet to the average viewer. Frankly, if you imagine yourself seated at the center of a round stage, you’d be hard-pressed to figure out which way to look, and that’s the quandary that the 360 video similarly presents - leave the 'eye' pointing in one direction, or try to follow one or more dancers? Aarrgghh!

    Nevertheless, as a fan who can recognize most of the dancers, it’s absolutely fascinating to see them in action, especially up close, and particularly to be able to see facial expressions.

    Take it or leave it. I’ll add a proper topic on the upcoming Round soon, but I was stopped dead in my tracks by this unique find from the past. Spoiler Alert: the “reimagined” Round won’t be in-the-round…

    04BALLET1-jumbo.jpg

    Annier Navarro, Fan Shi and Roman Zavarov in Ib Andersen’s Round.  Photo credit - Caitlin O'Hara for The New York Times.

     

     

  11. Friday night’s Studio Spotlight attendees got a sneak peek at several of the dances (no costumes, no scenery) from the upcoming Juan Gabriel show. There's little doubt that the full-fledged show will leave the audience wowed. Here, in a nutshell, is what we saw:

    The soundtrack is apparently taken directly from Mr. Gabriel’s Palacio de Bellas Artes performance. So each piece is the length of a song, with bursts of applause (from the live recording) between pieces. The recorded applause is a bit jarring at first, but you get used to it, since it provides a natural break between pieces.

    While the choreography was uniformly top notch and well attuned to the music, the question of ‘what’s he singing so passionately about?’ continued to lurk in the back of my mind. (I don’t speak Spanish.) The choreography itself, and the tenor of the music and voice generally made it pretty clear. One group of pieces was the ‘it obvious’ and/or ‘it doesn’t matter what he’s singing’ group:

    • One was clearly a party piece, with lots of exuberant dancers, upbeat music, and energetic choreography - including women with floor-length skirts vigorously swishing away. Totally enjoyable regardless of the lyrics. Certainly the entire ballet will end with something of this nature.
    • Another piece featured one very macho guy and four enthralled women, who tended to dance as a group, but then each took a turn with the macho guy. It might be interesting to know what the lyrics are, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. In terms of sentiment, I couldn’t help but think of Balanchine’s Western Symphony. (BTW, Abby Philips Maginity does ‘flirty’ exceedingly well!)

    But the other group was the ‘Hmmm… I wonder what the words mean’ pieces:

    • For one piece, in particular, I felt that understanding the lyrics might add to my appreciation. Helio Lima danced the leading role, who was an elegant, but rather despondent guy. After a couple of minutes, a couple (Jillian Barrell and Luis Corrales) enter, and perform a short upbeat duet in the background behind Helio – presumably they're the source of the despondency. Later on, four men dance with Helio, attempting to snap him out of it. I couldn’t help but feel that knowing the story would help.

    It’s not clear to what extent (if any) BAZ will help non-Spanish speakers to bridge the language ‘gap’ (if there is one). Opera-like supertitles would, I think, be quite incompatible with ballet, i.e. distracting. Perhaps a synopsis of certain pieces in the program would be helpful.

    The language topic also came up during the post-performance Q&A session with four dancers. Familiarity with Juan Gabriel (the singer) ran the gamut – Serafin Castro is a native speaker from Cuba. Natalie Ramirez (from Riverside CA) grew up in a home where his music was frequently played, so it was second nature to her. Katelyn May and Ethan Price had done their own independent research into some of the pieces. Ethan in particular volunteered that one of the pieces was especially meaningful to him, and that he had to avoid paying too close attention, lest he miss his cue.

    Opening night will be (most appropriately) on Cinco de Mayo at Symphony Hall.

  12. The 2022-23 season brochure for Ballet Arizona has been released. Here are the essentials:

    Contemporary Moves
    September 22-25, 2022, at the Orpheum Theatre (presumably to recorded music)
    “An evening of three short but dynamic ballets”

    • Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour
    • TBD
    • TBD

    Cinderella
    October 20-23, 2022, at Phoenix Symphony Hall, with the Phoenix Symphony
    Choreography: Ib Andersen
    Music: Sergei Prokofiev

    The Nutcracker
    December 9-24, 2022, at Phoenix Symphony Hall, with the Phoenix Symphony
    Choreography: Ib Andersen
    Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchiakovsky

    Giselle
    February 9-12, 2023, at Madison Center for the Arts (presumably to recorded music)
    Choreography: Ib Andersen after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot
    Music: Adolphe Adam

    All Balanchine
    May 4 – 7, 2023, at Phoenix Symphony Hall, with the Phoenix Symphony
    Choreography: George Balanchine

    • Raymonda Variations (Music: Alexander Glazunov)
    • Emeralds (Music: Gabriel Fauré)
    • The Four Temperaments (Music: Paul Hindemith)

    An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden
    May 16-June 3, 2023, Tuesday through Saturdays, 8PM nightly at Desert Botanical Garden, typically to recorded music
    “From the choreographer that brought you new works such as Eroica, Topia, and The Four Seasons, An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden promises a spectacular experience that is uniquely Arizonan.”

    • Ballet: TBD

    Studio Spotlight Events
    “…experience a behind-the-scenes look at each upcoming production.”

    • Contemporary Moves, Sept 2, 2022, at Dorrance Theatre
    • Cinderella, October 7, 2022, at Dorrance Theatre
    • Giselle, January 27, 2023, at Dorrance Theatre
    • All Balanchine, April 2023, at Dorrance Theatre

    Ballet Under the Stars
    And, although the season brochure doesn't mention it, the season is typically kicked off with a series of free performances in early September, at various outdoor locations around the Phoenix metropolitan area.

    Aside from the works themselves,  a couple of things are of particular interest:

    • The resumption of live music from the Phoenix Symphony for the All Balanchine program, coupled with the loss of live music for the full length story ballet, Giselle
    • The introduction of a new venue, Madison Center for the Arts, which is a new “state-of-the-art venue featuring a 908 seat auditorium”, and is associated with the Madison School District.

    Also, BAZ has really been upping their game in terms of the brochure aesthetics - this year's especially so. Printed on very heavy stock, glossy paper, with lavish two-page spread photos for the major ballets. These things are actually frame-able!


     

  13. One other thing I should have thought of in posting the photo above...

    Serafin (2nd from left), and Katelyn (center) happen to have been this year's (2022) recipients of BAZ's Hazel Hare award, which recognizes a male and female dancer whose spirit echoes the strength, dedication, and passion that Hazel exemplified throughout her entire life. In announcing the awards, AD Ib Andersen remarked "It's a privilege to work with people like this. Thank you for being who you are." They are both superb and dedicated dancers!

    Hazel Hare was an amazing and accomplished woman, who was a long-time supporter of Ballet Arizona. When she passed away a few years ago, her bequest really put BAZ's endowment onto the map. In recognition of her gift, BAZ established an award in her name, which is awarded annually at the company's Gala.

  14. Well, sorry for a VERY tardy reply, but in the spirit of cleaning up loose ends...

    The two women are Anna Maria Spears and Alison Remmers. The man is Serafín Castro. (There were several trios; the only one with two women and one man started around 33' 30". Funny how with masks, some people I can recognize instantly, but others are much harder - and ballet's use of side-lighting sure doesn't help!)

    Anna Maria is no longer with Ballet Arizona, but the other two definitely are. Alison was recently a very lovely Cousin in Romeo and Juliet, and, most recently, Serafin was in all three Balanchine pieces - Serenade, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, and Bourrée Fantasque.

    The photo below from Romeo and Juliet shows Alison (Cousin) and Serafin (Mercutio) on the left. Also shown are Katelyn May (Cousin), Ricardo Santos (Benvolio), and Leticia Ender (Cousin, from the Studio Company).

    273910490_10159847190799938_890317941236

    273910490_10159847190799938_890317941236

  15. Ballet Arizona is only weeks away from presenting its final mainstage production of the ‘21-22 season, Juan Gabriel, and I am fearful that the production may be ‘flying under the radar’. This new creation seems not to be garnering much attention - or ticket sales - despite having sterling credentials.

    Juan Gabriel teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYTEsYdKids

    Spoiler(?) Alert: Motivation for this posting was drawn from attendance at a rehearsal not open to the public. It may therefore be in violation of Ballet Alert guidelines, but better to chance it than to let an outstanding effort go unnoticed…

    Juan Gabriel (or Juanga, as he was called) was a Mexican singer/songwriter of immense popularity in Latin America. Always the consummate showman, his flamboyant style and passionate voice quickly elevated him to pop icon status. Juanga’s early passing at age 66 in 2016, and the resulting obituary in the NY Times caught the attention of Artistic Director Ib Anderson. It was the musicality and passion of Juanga’s performance at Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes – the first non-classical show to be performed there – that became the seed of Mr. Andersen’s vision for a new ballet – one choreographed to the vocal performances of Juan Gabriel.

    "Being in Mexico and talking to so many people about Juan Gabriel, I learned so much. Their love of him could be from childhood memories, or from a romance gone right… or wrong! I have never come across an artist that was and still is, so beloved with such deep and universal passion. I keep thinking, “What is a Dane doing, trying to choreograph a ballet to this revered Mexican Artist? Am I crazy?” I am terrified, but, I think about how much his music inspires me and I am passionate about showcasing his artistry in a completely different medium." - Ib Andersen

    Music from the Palacio performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw53gxpI45A

    Clearly this is an opportunity to broaden BAZ’s audience by further engaging the local Hispanic population.  Personally, however, as a non-Spanish-speaking Anglo, I have to admit that I was nonplussed by the concept – how could I possibly appreciate the show if I didn’t understand the words? But that concern evaporated once I had the chance to attend a rehearsal. The music was infectious; the vocals were energizing, and the dancing was gloriously Latin and deliciously musical. Not understanding the words was simply irrelevant. Clearly this is shaping up to be a superb example of ‘See the Music’ – made even more enticing since it was an engaging style of music to which I am not normally exposed.

    Of course, the rehearsal was in a studio, with dancers wearing rehearsal attire. But a quick whirl through the costume shop hinted at the icing on the cake – costumes by Mexico City fashion house Carla Fernandez. The link below goes into some detail about the collaboration between Ms. Fernanadez, Mr. Andersen, and Costume Director Leonor Texidor. About 80 costumes – a shocking number for a company the size of BAZ – are being created. While much of the costume construction is being done in BAZ’s own costume shop, costumes are also being shuttled back to Mexico City, for beadwork and embroidery by indigenous artisans.

    https://thechicdaily.com/2022/04/06/carla-fernandez-joins-ballet-az-on-juan-gabriel-production/

    https://en.carlafernandez.com/pages/about-us#

    As to scenery, it will apparently be of the projected variety. Those who saw Mr. Andersen’s Firebird will recall the full-stage semicircular rear-projection screen that was used to stunning effect. Juanga’s record breaking performance at the Palacio de Bellas Artes was captured on DVD, and this may well be a source of video for the show, but it’s pretty low-res stuff, so it will be interesting to see whether/how it will be incorporated into projected scenery.

    Early life and career of Juan Gabriel: https://blog.balletaz.org/the-composer-series-a-look-at-juan-gabriel

    So that’s my take on what’s likely to be a spectacular production: Music from a Mexican pop icon, dance from an inspired Danish choreographer, and costumes from a big-name fashion house. As stated on BAZ’s website:

    "It’s a new work like nothing seen before; performance as poetry bringing new appreciation to the emotional authenticity of this musical legend, reflecting the color, passion, and vibrancy of Juan Gabriel. Expect to feel love, sadness, joy, all in one great evening as a tribute to a master."

    Anyone wishing a preview and additional insights into this production can attend the Studio Spotlight at BAZ studios on Friday, April 22, 2022:

    https://balletaz.org/performance/studio-spotlight-2021-2022/

    Performances will be at Phoenix Symphony Hall on May 5-8, 2022, to the recorded music of Juan Gabriel:

    https://balletaz.org/performance/juan-gabriel-2022/

    NEWS_160829510_EP_-1_XWFLPAXHTAKV.jpg?w=

  16. As the NYT obituary makes very clear, Katherine’s professional career was as lexicographer, ultimately to become Editor of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Over the last decade, in her role as Canada’s Wordlady, Katherine wrote a blog describing “the fascinating, fun, and challenging things about the English language” (YES! Katherine, you DID use the Oxford comma!!), entitled Wordlady.  Her wonderful (and not infrequently acerbic) sense of humor is sprinkled liberally throughout each posting - and there are hundreds of them!

    Katherine’s last blog post – just a few weeks before she passed – was mischievously entitled Dearly Beloved, and dealt with the usage and misuse of the word “beloved”. If you’ve never been exposed to this side of our beloved Katherine’s personality, take a look – just about any blog posting is likely to  educate in a most entertaining fashion...

    https://katherinebarber.blogspot.com/2021/

  17. Sarasota Ballet has sent out the following email regarding changes to their upcoming season:

    The Sarasota Ballet Announces an Important Update to our Fall Season in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

    The Company’s opening three programs of its 30th Anniversary Season will occur as specially devised and purposely filmed programs that will be streamed to ticket buyers.

    The Sarasota Ballet today announces that we will be offering unique and specifically filmed performances that will be streamed to ticket buyers, and will replace in-theater performances for the first 3 programs of our 30th Anniversary Season. The decision to do so has been made in order to safeguard audience members, dancers, and staff from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while also allowing the Company to continue to perform so that the audience will be able to experience remarkable ballets this coming Season.

    “While we’re still finalizing the exact programming elements, this newly created Digital Fall Season is something we’re all excited about,” explains Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “Our aim is to continue to bring breathtaking works to the stage and ensure that we’re keeping the safety of our dancers in mind. Therefore, as we start this new project, we will focus on ballets and works that have smaller casts in order to limit the number of dancers rehearsing together. Additionally, we are continuing to investigate other innovative performance experiences for audience members and patrons of The Sarasota Ballet.”

    The Digital Fall Season will emulate as close as possible the traditional experience audience members expect from The Sarasota Ballet. Additionally, the streamed performances will include extra features to bring audience members behind the scenes with special guest interviews and rehearsal clips, and a look into the process of a world premiere. The three programs will be released to ticket holders at approximately the same dates that the three in-theater programs were scheduled to open. The ballets will be filmed with multiple cameras to ensure audiences can see every aspect of the performance. These programs will then be emailed to ticket holders, who can watch the performance at their leisure over a period of time.

    “Since the pandemic hit, we’ve worked tirelessly to support our dancers and staff through this extraordinary time,” says Joseph Volpe, Executive Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “It’s the reason why, after we cancelled most of our Spring Season, we continued to pay all our dancers through to the end of their contracts. As we open this newly created Digital Fall Season, we hope that our audience members will engage with these performances, and our donors will remain steadfast in their investment in this great Company.”

    Webb adds, “Even though there are still relative unknowns at play, we are still planning on bringing all the dancers back in January, and we all look forward to theaters fully opening in the New Year.”

    Full programming details for the October, November, and December programs will be announced in the future. Subscribers who currently have tickets for the first three programs of The Sarasota Ballet’s 30th Anniversary Season will be contacted shortly regarding their ticketing options.

  18. One of the more unique and amusing aspects of this ballet is the character of Madge, the fortune teller. One can only imagine that a young Ib Andersen growing up at the Royal Danish must have witnessed some rather creepy Madges over the years, and that they would have made a lasting impression (if not nightmares) for a child.

    The character role of Madge is portrayed by the lovely Tzu Chia Huang, who had retired from Ballet Arizona several years prior to this 2019 performance. Ms. Huang had danced many lead roles, including Cinderella, Juliet, Odette/Odile, DonQ Mercedes, Rubies Tall Girl, and more.

    Here’s a short compendium of some of her roles:

    Ms. Huang said that Mr. Andersen spent a full four hours instructing her in meticulous detail on how to portray Madge. Judging by the video, she absorbed it all…

  19. Here’s the lead casting:

    Act 1

    The Sylph                                 Amber Lewis

    Anna, a tenant                        Sasha Vincett

    James, her son                        Helio Lima

    Effy, her niece                         Arianni Martin

    Nancy, Effy’s Friend                Colleen Buckley

    Gurn, a young farmer             Serafin Castro

    Madge, a fortune teller          Tzu Chia Huang

    Act 2

    Four Witches               Alberto Penalver, Erick Garnica, Enrique Solis, Adrian Durham

    First Sylph                    Alison Remmers

    Next two Sylphs           Colleen Buckley, Ana Maria Spear

  20. Ballet Arizona and the Phoenix Symphony will stream Bournonville’s La Sylphide, starting Sunday, August 2, 2020. Lately, BAZ has been advertising 24 hours only, but in reality, the Symphony has been leaving videos up for at least a week. They will be posted on the Phoenix Symphony’s youtube page:

    WARNING: This video is incomplete (thanks, canbelto!), so you may want to defer watching until the video is (hopefully) fixed...Still busted as of late Wednesday, Aug 5 PM...

     

    This production is from February, 2019, and shared the program with Ballet Arizona’s much heralded new production of The Firebird.

    Choreography:                        August Bournonville

    Staging:                                   Ib Andersen

    Music:                                     Herman Severin Lovenskhold

    Lighting:                                  Michael Korsch

    Costume and Scenic Design:   David Walker

    Costumes and Scenery:           Courtesy of Houston Ballet

    The Phoenix Symphony conducted by Timothy Russell

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