its the mom
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Posts posted by its the mom
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19 hours ago, Inge said:
Thank you so much for the thorough and thoughtful review. It's really saying something that Afterite has spurred so many discussions and arguments.
Devon Teuscher said in an Instagram post, 'Thank you to Wayne McGregor for giving us this Ballet and allowing me to truly explore it as an individual.'
This open space for interpretation is what made the piece so thrilling to me, and one I would like to revisit. Each cast is allowed to build their own Afterite society, relationships, rules. It's an interesting route to take. After so many lackluster new works lately, I can settle for interesting.I agree. Many in each cast have stated on Instagram that working with McGregor and performing this ballet have been highlights of their careers. As far as Ferri and Cornejo deserving a better vehicle, I am not sure they look at it that way. Both stated at the Guggenheim (and on Instagram) that they were honored to work with McGregor and loved being pushed in a different way. Saw it again last night and noted even more that I had not seen before. Cirio is a sympathetic character. I noted that when they are all served (a la holy communion) what I assumed to be a drug, he very obviously took it out of his mouth and placed it on the ground. The dancers danced with more intensity last night than the first time I saw it. I wish I could be there today to see it one more time.
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Last night it got a standing ovation.
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I thought it might be helpful to see some of the comments from the dancers:
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7 minutes ago, Birdsall said:
My only problem is if this ballet condoned or made gassing a child humorous. I have not seen it, so I should not comment, but I wonder if it was trying to show that we have not changed since primitive times. Children continue to be the victims in our world (Syria, for example). Maybe the overall message was, "Let's wake up! It's still happening! We think only primitive people killed off children! Have we really changed? Are we any different?" If that is how this ballet can be interpreted I would actually be inclined to go see it one day.
If the ballet means to show the image as truly horrifying and not something to take lightly, then I think it might have a good underlying meaning. Often shocking images will cause us to want to change.
That's exactly what I took away from it. It was not humorous at all. Like many of these works (i.e., The Lottery, Lord of the Flies, as I mentioned above), it is a comment on our inhumanity (at least in my opinion.)
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8 minutes ago, abatt said:
Watching an adult woman dance herself to death by jumping around and up and down seems far less terrifying for a child than watching an actual little girl be placed in a gas chamber and gassed to death.
Also, people have been referring to kids who read Lord of the Flies and the Lottery. When you read a book you use your imagination. That's a completely different experience from a child sitting in a theater and seeing a little girl on stage placed into a sealed box and gassed.
I mentioned both books. I did also see as a young person a performance of The Lottery. What is your opinion of The Hunger Games, The Matrix, Blade Runner, Maze Runner, or The Divergent Series? I would venture to say that young people today would not find the ballet shocking since many watch these types of movies. To be clear, I am not opposed to ABT mentioning it in their literature.
I never saw Tetley's Rite. I am sure there are those here who saw it. I read from the Playbill, "Unlike the original, Tetley cast a man in the leading role of the Chosen One, or victim of the rite. In a harrowing, inexorable progression, the work built to the sacrifice of the chosen youth, and in a final coup de théâtre, he was drawn aloft in an explosion of energy." Not exactly sure what "drawn aloft in an explosion of energy" means. Can anyone shed light on that?
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7 hours ago, aurora said:
Let's not forget the subject of Rite of Spring...why would anyone expect a ballet related to it would be appropriate for children? Is that the standard for ballets now? PG?
I remember watching "The Lottery" in 9th grade and realizing how dangerous herd mentality can be. Val Caniparoli turned it into a ballet, which I have never had the opportunity to view, but I imagine it would evoke the same feelings I felt last night. Parents allow their children to read "The Hunger Games" and watch the movies. My son read "Lord of the Flies" in 6th grade. Not sure if this ballet is any worse than those.
7 hours ago, aurora said:I for one didn't find it trivializing so ymmv
Neither did I.
The ballet gave me much about which to think. I am going back to see it on Friday. The dancers were committed to the work and several were real standouts. It was evident this was some sort of post-apocalyptic, dystopian-type setting. The playbill article makes that clear. I am not sure what people expect when they hear "Rite of Spring" or a take-off of Rite. I expected fully some sort of sacrifice. I had already read the spoilers so I knew what was going to happen, but, to be perfectly honest, as soon as one sees the young girls enter the chamber, it becomes evident something will probably occur. My one complaint is I felt that pas at the end was too long. It was apparent (at least to me) that Ferri was tiring. About the "beating," I felt that it ended with her triumph when she pushed Cornejo to the ground and the curtain came down.
Euro-trash? Why do we refer to choreography this way? Additionally, this choreographer's bio reads like a dream. Aside from his work with ballet companies, "He served as Movement Director for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Legend of Tarzan and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He has choreographed music videos for Radiohead ("Lotus Flower"), Atoms for Peace ("Ingenue"), and The Chemical Brothers featuring Beck ("Wide Open"). " His award list is unbelievable. From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_McGregor I ran into a dancer I know in the audience and she said, "How lucky are the ABT dancers to have worked with Wayne for more than five weeks! I am so jealous."
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I agree that artists have a right to respond to contemporary (or past) issues. I recently read the following, and was saddened. I doubt whether most of those polled know what is going on in Syria either.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/holocaust-study-millennials/
This is one time I applaud McKenzie for having the guts to do something different. I know I am in the minority, but everything isn't always beautiful at the ballet. The Rite of Spring itself was controversial. I think of works like The Judas Tree which I recently saw at the Royal Opera House.
5 minutes ago, abatt said:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/arts/dance/review-abt-spring-gala.html
FYI, see attached.
While watching the McGregor work, it was never intimated during the entire ballet that this set piece would turn into a gas chamber. It was a verdant space with plants and light. As noted in the article, it was a space where the two little girls in the work simply stood, sometimes with Ferri. The change into a gas chamber during the final moments was, in my opinion, a way to gratuitously shock the audience. Now it will be known as the Gas Chamber Ballet.
I note that Macaulay mentioned the Dorrance piece would be better served at the Joyce.
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Interesting that McGregor's Obsidian Tear ("The imaginative world of the ballet is both archaic and futuristic in its exploration of the tribal behaviour of its all-male group. From the ballet’s opening duet, tender and innocent, the dancing becomes darker and more turbulent as the group plays out a dynamic of conflict and challenge, loyalty and rejection.") and other ballets could be performed and well-received at the Royal Opera House, but his work doesn't belong at the Met.
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39 minutes ago, abatt said:
I thought by now there would be an outpouring of comments about last night's performance. I had to miss the first half of the show, so I only saw AfterRite. In retrospect, I wish I had gone to the first half and skipped the second half. AfterRite had the usual McGregor hallmarks of push me, pull me, bend me, extend my limb in the most extreme awful position choreography. However, this was McGregor with some added grotesque twists.
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
The set has a constructed box with clear plastic doors on the side of the stage. At the end of the ballet, there is a little girl in the box, and white gas starts filling into the box. In other words, the ending of the "ballet" has a little girl being gassed to death. Oh, and did I mention that a video recording device set up on the stage in front of the glass box is recording the gassing? Am I misinterpreting what was going on there? I sure hope so. Clearly McGregor was going for a grand theatrical effect. While the work did have some interesting ideas, as a Jew I found the gassing gimmick at the end completely offensive and inappropriate. Thank goodness I have no tickets for any additional performances of this program. Anyone else attend?
I know you did indeed see it correctly. I have spoken to several of the dancers about the piece, and each has said the ballet is a commentary on the state of our society and world. Perhaps thinking of Syria might give some insight? I will see it this evening so I will be able to comment more. What I do know is the dancers loved working with McGregor, found him inspirational, and love(d) dancing the piece.
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Article in the New York Times about AfteRite which gives a little more insight into the ballet:
And this:
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26 minutes ago, abatt said:
It seems to me the only good scheduling option is to put Copeland in there. If Abrera can't perform, I would be thrilled to see Lane, or alternatively, a new Giselle like Trenary or Brandt. I saw Copeland last season in Giselle, and once was enough.
I doubt they would put a last minute Giselle like Trenary or Brandt. Either Gillian with Cory, although that gives her three performances in a week (two Giselles and a Myrtha.) Normally, with a younger dancer, that is not an issue, but it could be for her. My guess would be Sarah and Daniil.
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58 minutes ago, abatt said:
Personally, I feel that McKenzie's focus on women choreographers is a gimmick. I'm more interested in the quality of the choreography than the gender of the person who created it.
Michelle Dorrance is a brilliant tap dancer. Why is she creating a work for a major ballet company, to be shown in a 3,000 seat auditorium. I could understand if it was a work for the studio company to be shown at their annual presentation,.
Agreed, abatt.
This article is interesting and telling, in my opinion. Even more telling are the comments. It is not so much that there is a lack of women choreographers, but a lack of women choreographers being used by major companies.
This quote tells me a lot about McKenzie: “It’s important to level the playing field, if you will, but what’s paramount above and beyond that is, Where is the next voice?” Mr. McKenzie said. “I’m looking for somebody who can ignite the excitement of where we are in time. I just care about the work. And it turns out that the work that is catching my eye seems to be a higher percentage of women.” Basically, what caught his eye was a visit to the Vail Festival last year, i.e., basically choosing the same women choreographers who choreographed for the NOW Festival.
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Glad he said what the rest of us were thinking. I would love to know what the dancers think about the choreographic choices themselves.
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May he rest in peace. I always appreciated his posts and expertise.
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I thought this was an interesting article. I definitely do not stand for every performance I attend.
The comment below I especially loved. Has there ever been a moment as a ballet audience member that you sat in silence because you were moved? I know most people won't share my opinion, but MacMillan's "Song of the Earth" made me feel that way.
"He also pointed out that, according to legend, when Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman opened on Broadway in 1949, the audience was so moved that it sat in shocked silence at the end of the play before the applause began."
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1 hour ago, miliosr said:
Florimond Lorieux has announced on his Instagram feed that he's returning to the Paris Opera Ballet after two years with Boston Ballet.
A lifetime contract is hard to give up. I think the dancers are only permitted a certain amount of time away before relinquishing the lifetime contract. I may be wrong. Maybe somebody else knows the time frame associated with this.
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I looked back at reviews and Paloma was 21 when she danced Don Q with Corella at ABT. Corella was 20. From what I can tell of their biographies, she was a principal and he was a soloist, promoted to principal that August.
https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/01/arts/ballet-review-a-don-quixote-of-youthful-innocence.html
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6 hours ago, abatt said:
Considering that ABT has several tall men in the soloist rank, I find it surprising that they are using Bell for Romeo. That signals that there is little possibility that Royal, Forster or Hoven can expect a lead role.I
I would love to have seen Forster or Hoven take on this role. They are two of my favorite dancers, and both are wonderful partners.
7 hours ago, vipa said:Lane should have been cast as Juliet.
Absolutely agree. I would love to have seen a Cirio/Lane pairing here.
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Alessandra was en pointe.
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First, I should say that I am a huge McGregor fan. I love his style of movement and, having seen him work in Boston, I admire how he approaches a company and a project.
I was there last night. John Meehan was the moderator. The dancers were Alessandra Ferri, Herman Cornejo and Jeffrey Cirio. The evening began with Meehan speaking to McGregor about his background, how he got involved in dance, his approach to choreography, etc. Let me say, at this point, that McGregor's biography is impressive. He has his own company which performs around the world. Additionally, he opened a studio in March of 2017, a "shared space ... where creative brains of the day can exchange knowledge and invent together." He has created over thirty works for his company. Additionally, as we know, he is a Resident Choreographer at Royal Ballet. He is also a Professor of Choreography at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, has several honorary doctorates, and has received a plethora of awards including a CBE for services to dance.
From what I could gather, McGregor was to have choreographed The Rite of Spring for the Bolshoi at the time when the Filin attack occurred. The project got pushed aside. Through a series of events (including a chance meeting with Ratmansky, so it seems), he was commissioned to choreograph the ballet for ABT. However, the plans he had for the Bolshoi did not fit for ABT. He felt he need to go in a different direction. Additionally, since so many versions of the ballet exist, he decided to just build on the idea. At least, that is what I got out of what was being said.
McGregor, like many choreographers today, came in January to the company and held a workshop. Introducing movement and his style, he was able to choose the dancers for the piece. Throughout the interview, the idea of collaboration was emphasized. He likes the dancers to take a movement and inhabit it in their own way.
The performance was a walk-through of two sections of choreography. First, Ferri and Cornejo walked through a pas de deux section and then performed it with music. Next was Cornejo and Cirio doing the same. The movement is very "McGregor." There was very little discussion of the narrative, although he intimated a mother figure and two sons.
After the two sections, Meehan asked McGregor a few more questions and then the dancers came out to discuss working with McGregor. Alessandra emphasized the distinct pleasure of working with him and the opportunity to continue stretching herself. There was a discussion about taking risks and pushing past that which dancers think they are capable. It was evident these three dancers liked working with him. Cornejo stated that working with McGregor helped him in his classical work by bringing another dimension, and Cirio stated that he felt very comfortable in McGregor's work. Meehan discussed the idea of working with new choreographers, and all three agreed that working with a live choreographer and having the chance to perform new works was something all dancers desire.
By the way, all three have worked with McGregor prior to this.
There was a short question and answer period. The only question I can remember is one audience member asked about a second cast. As it appears right now, he is still choreographing and putting the ballet together. Because he works so intimately with the dancers, would there be an ability to put on a second cast. He said that the other casts have been in the room and have had the opportunity to take on the movement, but there seemed to be (at least to me), a moment when the dancers looked as if there might be a challenge for that to happen.
He also mentioned in one portion of the interview that the cast of dancers all had key roles in the ballet. I should have written it down, as I forget the number he said - maybe 15 dancers total? Perhaps this is why the casting appears as it does on the website? But I do think for sure, that Ferri, Cornejo and Cirio all play key parts. I am disappointed in myself for not taking notes to share. This is what I can remember off the top of my head this morning.
Here is a TED talk that McGregor did several years ago if you have never watched his work:
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44 minutes ago, LadyBubbles said:
I love how the AfteRite cast showed as "To be announced" for months, and now that it's been posted it simply says "Company." Thanks for the accurate info, ABT
They are having a Works and Process at the Guggenheim this evening with McGregor. Perhaps that will shed more light.
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April Giangeruso should be given a chance at Myrta.
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19 minutes ago, pherank said:
I'm not criticizing - it's an excellent list, and when we look at the organizations surrounding the A.D.s there are many, many women involved filling all manner of roles. But yes, males prevail at the highest ranks, especially in certain cultures.
Nina Ananiashvili would be another one to mention: she is A.D. of the State Ballet of Georgia.
How could I forget her!
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I realize that, but how many of those companies have either women Associate Artistic Directors or women Executive Directors? I believe I forgot PNB was once co-directed by Francia Russell, and Margaret Barbieri co-directs Sarasota. Sasha Waltz will co-direct Staatsballet. Madeleine Onne (formerly Royal Swedish and Hong Kong) ... I think I read somewhere that she is taking over Finnish National. Rachel Beaujean is Associate Artistic Director of Het. Boston, ABT, and PA Ballet have women Executive Directors. Those are the three I know off the top of my head. I also forgot Amy Seiwert and Karen Brown.
2018 Met Season
in American Ballet Theatre
Posted
Sometimes, as you know, dancers are nursing injuries and feel it is better to pull out of certain performances to save themselves for others. I think we saw that last week with Trenary who did not dance the peasant pas in Giselle, but danced this week in McGregor's piece and Firebird (I think.) Nursing injury is quite common during Met season, I would think.