Kathleen O'Connell

JAPAN! My family lived there for three years when I was in my early teens. (During the Johnson administration - i.e, roughly a bazillion years ago ...) I still miss it.

First, something charming: Bon Odori. Bon Odori are folk dances performed during the summer Bon festival, when the spirits of the dead come back to visit their families. (Why they come back when it's steaming hot rather than in the far lovelier Japanese spring or fall is beyond me.) You welcome them home with happy Bon Odori -- Bon festival dances. Each region has its own flavor of Bon dance. (One of the famous ones is from a coal mining region. Follow along in the little video player in the upper left corner on this page.) Amateur dance troupes organized by workplaces, schools, or neighborhood associations perform the Bon Odori on a raised platform called a yagura, or, if the platform's only big enough for the drummers, around it. The onlookers join in and circle the platform performing the Bon dance at the same time. I don't know where this video was shot, but the scene is pretty typical. Some Bon Odori groups perform in the streets, like these folks.

The internet being what it is, there is of course a Bon Odori cat video. And Bon Odori Gangnam style ...

sandik: they do Bon Odori in Seattle, so you can go join in the fun ... The US Army Garrison in Japan (!) has posted a few training videos to help you get ready. Here's Tanko-bushi (the coal mining dance) and Sakura Ondo (the one the cat's doing).

PS: Pina Bausch's "Seasons" march always reminds me of Bon Odori!

PPS: In case you're wondering, the Bon Odori Gangnam style video was shot in Brazil ... Google "Bon matsuri" and you'll see that there are Bon festivals everywhere ...

The internet gods are indeed smiling on this thread today, because I just happened to stumble across this. It's a clip of two of the best dancers I've ever been privileged to see, Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy of the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble. They're performing Vibhakta, a duet choreographed by Sen in India's classical Odissi style. The dance is set to a Sanskrit hymn honoring Ardhanarishvara, the half male, half female manifestation of Shiva. Sen has recast the hymn as a love song between Shiva's male and female halves. Sen is the female half, Satpathy the male; even though they are costumed alike, you should be able to sort out which is which. (Hint - early-ish in the clip Satpathy parades around Sen with swaggering warrior steps.) I've seen them perform this a couple of times (they come to NYC fairly often), and it's one of the most glorious depictions of harmony I've seen -- in no small part because of the tremendous sympathy between Sen and Satpathy, who have been colleagues for decades. The video quality isn't great, alas ...

And, if you'd like to see more Odissi, check out Sujata Mohapatra's YouTube channel here. Parts III and II (in that order) will give you a taste of Odissi in its narrative mode. (There are subtitles to help you follow along.) In terms of where dance should go next, Mark Morris has already gone there: there's a section in his setting of Dido and Aneas that is a clear homage to Indian Dance's narrative tradition. Parts IV and V are more pure dance.

Thanks for the Mémoire des vents du sud link! I haven't been able to find much Han Tang Yuefu out on the interwebs, so this is welcome (although, frankly, I could live without the French Renaissance intrusion ...)

So, speaking of enchanting Baroque, I'm reposting something that kbarber linked to in this thread: http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/38660-some-beautiful-baroque-dance-lullys-atys/

Dormons, dormons tous ... The opera is Lully's Atys, performed by Les Arts Florissants, led by William Christie. (This same production made its way across the Atlantic to BAM a couple of years ago.) The link should take you to the right place, but if not, go to about the 1:33:50 mark. First you'll see the entrance of two dancers portraying (I think) little Zephyrs. After some exquisite solo and ensemble singing, Gil Isoart enters and dances an equally exquisite -- and very expressive -- solo. I've linked to a YouTube post of the entire opera: there are worse ways to spend three hours, but if you don't have three hours, I urge you to scroll back to the 1:28:00 mark and watch the whole "Le Sommeil" scene. Its gorgeous start to finish.

PS: this is, of course, not "not-ballet" ... but it is most definitely enchanting.

PPS: I should have mentioned that there is more dancing in the "Le Sommeil" scene after Isoart's solo, so don't stop there. If you want to cut to the chase go here, here, and here.

you can see how much work the entire body is really doing to create the effect of not doing much at all:

I had to laugh -- a good friend of mine was a high-level competitor in synchronized swimming for years, and this sounds exactly like her description of the discipline.

I think this is true of Baroque dance too, no? I gather all that quarter point work is rather taxing ... which reminds me: I meant to mention in my post that the Han Tang Yuefu performance reminded me of Baroque dance in its elegance and civility.

So I guess I’ll respond to the last sentence of my post immediately above. The video clip of Yang LiPing (second one above) is probably the most beautiful and enchanting non-ballet dance performance that I’ve seen. If anyone would like to mention or post a non-ballet performance that has had a similar effect, I’d really like to hear about it. I think that this is an area of dance that is wide open to future development and I’d love to see it happen.

I think I could fill this thread with seventeen pages of clips of enchanting not-ballet. But since you've gotten us started with something Chinese, I'll keep going in that direction ...

A few years ago I had the good fortune to see Taiwan's Han Tang Yuefu Music and Dance Ensemble at the Joyce and it was perhaps one of the most sheerly lovely things I'd ever seen in a theater. To my western-trained eyes, it looked like a style entirely grounded in subtle micro-adjustments of the head, hands, and posture. (The work that I saw was a reconstruction based on Tang dynasty materials, some still part of a living tradition, some retrieved through scholarship.) The lower body -- which is entirely covered in floor-length robes during performance -- seemed a kind of moving pedestal on which to display the upper body.

Go here for a video with the dancers in costume: http://www.carnegiehall.org/chinafestival/events/13980.aspx

But ... don't miss this series of videos of the dancers demonstrating their moves in street clothes for a very interesting contrast -- you can see how much work the entire body is really doing to create the effect of not doing much at all:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVQqgRyg1fc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVQqgRyg1fc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL0YW2IF_f0

Which production is the photo of Caitlin Mathes from? That is a seriously over-the-top mustache -- do the rest of the characters match the flamboyance?

Portland Opera. Yes. Over-the-top. And then over then next top. I have no idea what's up with the sink.

Today Rinaldo is a counter tenor of course. With regard to the comment about current productions, perhaps you might like to look at what lovely Almirena looks like in this year's Glyndebourne production. http://glyndebourne.com/production/rinaldo-2014?gclid=CjkKEQjw4_ubBRCArMWr6avk_J8BEiQAIj43tbjXX2dAEQ5bOG3fSH6rKnJmWhhepvHRUM7BaPXUAl3w_wcB

Not always!

Here's Sonia Prina as Rinaldo from that same Glyndebourne production:

Rinaldo apparently gets tied up a lot in this production:

Here's Vivica Genaux

And Caitlin Mathes (perhaps all the countertenors auditioning for the role took one look at the costume and bailed, despite that fact that a gig is a gig ...)

And Phyllis Pancella

I've seen both David Daniels and Sarah Connolly in Handel's heroic opera seria roles, and I can tell you that Daniels was not the most convincingly heroic of the two, but that's a topic for a different thread.

God knows how some of these writers would react to Marilyn Horne in a suit of armor vowing eternal love to Joan Sutherland.

Well, here's one way to deal with the "more curves than height" issue:

That's Marilyn Horne as Handel's Rinaldo, ready to vanquish the sorceress Armida and save lovely Almirena.

Here's the text of an April press release. Not terribly informative, alas, and neither is the (poorly designed) website. You really have to dig around to find out how much it costs ($9.99 per month). And aside from the "kulturkast with Chromecast" tag, there's no real information regarding which devices you can use to watch the content and how it will be delivered -- e.g., on a tablet via an app, on a computer via a browser plug-in, and / or a TV via a streaming media player. Worse still, either the catalogue is very limited (are there really only two items in the "Ballet" category?) or the Kultur folks aren't going to let you see what's available until you sign up. (Since you have to give them a credit card number to access the free trial, I'm not inclined to give it a test drive to get my questions answered.) So far, I'm not impressed. (Go to the Netflix or Vudu websites to see how it should be done.)

Press release

For immediate release

Kultur to Launch New Streaming Service for Cultural and Educational Content

Cannes, France ­ April 7, 2014 — U.S.­based programming network KULTUR announced that it will release its new subscription-­based VOD (video-­on­-demand) service for cultural and educational content in May 2014. Key partnerships signed with well­-known programming providers will also be announced at launch. CEO Thomas Buchar states, "Though we can't yet reveal who we have signed deals with, the videos-­on­-demand Kultur will offer via streaming delivery are brand name top-­tier properties, known and loved worldwide. "To access cultural entertainment online currently, consumers must search through thousands of titles on various streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, among others, to find the material they prefer to watch. It is a time-­consuming problem that Kultur solves by curating and aggregating all the best content — in opera, classical music, ballet, and documentary films — in one place. Some viewers even subscribe to multiple online services in order to receive the variety of content in these categories. Kultur will now be the one­-stop destination for this material. Based on Kultur’s history as the premier marketplace for cultural and educational content, it will offer thousands of hours of video upon its U.S. launch in May 2014 and aims to be the leading subscription-­based cultural and performing arts VOD company in the world by 2016.

About Kultur:

Kultur (www.kultur.com) brings the world’s greatest performing arts and cultural programming to audiences in a variety of formats, including DVD, Blu­ray and streaming. With thousands of titles featuring the legends of opera, ballet and classical music, Kultur also offers the largest collection of art, literature and history programs as seen on Public Television, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel and other networks. For over 30 years, Kultur has been the leading source of world­class performing arts titles.

... in other pictures she does appear on the chubby side, and, more concerning in a 'trouser role' rather short. Tara Erraught is not in the Jane Eaglen/Jesse Norman mould and is in my view a highly attractive young woman http://www.taraerraught.com/index.php her curves in an evening dress are pretty good I would say.

Go here for a picture of Tara Erraught (Octavian) and Teodora Gheorghiu (Sophie) in their Rosenkavalier costumes.

There's nothing wrong with Erraught en travesti that a kinder costume and a better hairstyle couldn't fix. One of the adults in charge needed to get the production designer behind closed doors and tactfully suggest that maybe, just maybe, this particular shiny white suit wasn't really the way to go. And not just with Erraught. I'm guessing that the population of women who might actually look good in that outfit -- much less convincingly male -- is pretty small. OK -- maybe Sophie Koch or Elina Garanča could pull it off ... but really, these folks are allegedly professionals and should know how to cut a suit to flatter the singer they're working with.

PS -- here's a whole Tumblr (with GIFs and all) devoted to mezzos en travesti: http://whowearsthetrousers.tumblr.com/

I saw the Davidsbündlertänze / Union Jack double bill at the Saturday 5/17/14 matinee.

• Ashley Laracey looked absolutely lovely -- and completely at home -- in Kay Mazzo's role. I'd never noticed before what a beautiful arabesque she has -- and not just the achieved pose, but the getting there too: supple, musical, fluid, even at speed.
• As one might expect, Teresa Reichlen's Clara is very different from Sara Mearns' but equally valid: I'd be hard pressed to chose between them and it's good to have them both. For whatever reason, the roles Balanchine created for von Aroldingen really suit Reichlen, and this one is no exception. The choreography just looks gorgeous on her.

Re Union Jack:

• Abi Stafford should dance everything the way she dances in Union Jack. She looked like she was having the time of her life and the difference it makes in her dancing is astonishing.
• Megan Fairchild and Amar Ramasar were delightful in the Costermonger pas de deux -- it looked like they were having fun, too. The new (and very adorable) pony got a bit rambunctious towards the end: after dispensing a couple of serious head-butts to his young handler, he entertained the notion of trotting off on his own in the wrong direction, but then Ramasar got a firm grip on his bridle, and he thought better of it.
• Sara Mearns was on fire in MacDonald of Sleat; Ashley Isaacs was on fire in WRENS.

Any word on why?

Hopefully not as an excuse to commission yet another production design from Per Kirkeby ...

One bit of history that I find fascinating: Bournonville reportedly hated pointe shoes and choreographed without them. Yet, in the 20th century, even the Royal Danish Ballet uses pointe shoes. The main explanation I've seen: audiences expect them. That's a significant change from the original choreography and makes you wonder what else has been altered -- frequency of turns? height of jumps? extensions?

Interesting. I was under the impression that it was Bournonville himself who put the Sylph and her sisters -- i.e., the magical creatures -- on pointe, leaving the rest of the women -- i.e., the human ones -- to dance in character shoes. Using pointe work to distinguish between the magical and the mundane has always been my favorite thing about "La Sylphide" -- so much so, in fact, that I've always longed for a version of "Giselle" (and maybe even "Swan Lake") that does the same thing!

I opened the season by seeing two enjoyable performances of "Namouna" (Friday night and Sunday matinee). Robert Fairchild was amazing -- beautiful form, athleticism, and charisma. The cigarette girl is a perfect role for Ashley Bouder, showcasing her dazzling footwork and comic timing. Sara Mearns was her usual explosive self. I find Sterling Hyltin less interesting than Bouder or Mearns, although her technique seems to be up to any challenge. I'm having some trouble completely following the narrative of Namouna, though. Can anyone share their understanding of the plot? I gather that it's Fairchild and three women, and that in the end he winds up with the "right" one, but I don't really understand the obstacles, or what's going on with all the subsidiary characters (Ulbricht and his hench-maidens, the yellow-dress girls and the bathing-cap girls).

I'm enjoying Abi Stafford more than I used to. It was interesting seeing her dance side by side with Megan Fairchild. I'd swear Stafford has some way in which her body catches more light than Fairchild does.

Cobweb -- I think there is about as much "plot" to Ratmansky's "Namouna" as there is to Balanchine's "Scotch Symphony" or "Baiser de la Fée" -- or even "Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2" -- which is to say, only the merest suggestion that there might actually be one. These ballets all evoke earlier works with real plots ("La Sylphide" in the case of Scotch Symphony. e.g.) but don't really recapitulate them. The jolly Highland Lassie who opens "Scotch Symphony" sure looks like she's going to turn out to be Effie, but then pretty much vanishes from the scene. The male corps first bars the way between the male lead and the object of his desire, then hands her over to him about 20 seconds later: it makes no sense in terms of plot, but we've seen that kind of drama in a score of other ballets where it does have narrative coherence, and it resonates with us somehow.

"Namouna" looks like the same kind of thing to me: we recognize bits of dramatic business from other ballets -- a male lead choosing between three women? hmmm ... Where have I seen that before? -- but here the elements only hang together by dream-logic. Putting the dancers in costumes evocative of 30s sci-fi films plays with our heads even more. If Daniel Ulbricht wore a crown and a doublet instead of what looks like an early aviator's helmet and a proto space suit, we'd probably decide he was the King in charge of whatever magical kingdom it was and not give it a moment's more thought: giving our hero a hard time is part of the job description. (The headgear that everyone except the male lead wears is genuinely disconcerting the first few times you see the ballet, and I assume that's the point.)

I adore "Namouna," but my one reservation is this: the woman our hero chooses at the end feels less than fully formed as a character. We know exactly what kind of woman the Cigarette Girl is, and would no matter who danced her. (I agree that Bouder is wonderful in the role.) Ditto Sara Mearns' Sultry Temptress. Both get a lot of distinctive material early on. But the girl who ultimately wins the guy seems barely sketched in until almost the end: she's a problem even Wendy Whelan, the role's originator, couldn't fix. I actually think that Hyltin does a commendable job with her: she gives her oddball gestures a kind of goofy ingenue innocence that makes her seem like the right choice after all. (It doesn't hurt that she and R. Fairchild have a ton of natural stage chemistry as a partnering team. They always look terrific together.) I really enjoyed Hyltin's performance on Sunday and hardly remembered that the role was created on Whelan -- I think she's done a fine job making the role her own.

Switching gears, the casting is up for week 3. It seems to be the season of Lauren Lovette. (No complaints about it from me.) She will debut in Raymonda Variations during week 3. Also a large number of exciting debuts in Robert Schumann's Davidsbundertanze during week 3.

That's some mighty interesting Davidsbündlertänze casting ... or should I say, wholesale recasting on a par with the raft of debuts in Liebeslieder a few seasons ago.

Is this how the two casts sort out? Everyone's listed as a debut, except Mearns, la Cour, Kowroski, and A. Stafford, so I assume those four are staying in the roles they've danced previously.

Mearns / la Cour = von Aroldingen / Lüders

Kowroski / J. Angle = Farrell / d'Amboise

Hyltin / Finlay = Mazzo / Andersen

A. Stafford / R. Fairchild = Watts / Martins

Reichlen / Janzen = von Aroldingen / Lüders

Krohn / Catazaro = Farrell / d'Amboise

Laracey / Suozzi = Mazzo / Andersen

T. Peck / T. Angle = Watts / Martins

It will be interesting to see what they do with it -- it's good to see some of the company's emerging talent in the mix, and it's good to see Davidsbündlertänze back on the schedule, too.

I had no idea who or what JR was til I glanced at the caption of the Times photo. I still don't know who Lil Buck is. I do not go to the ballet to see hip hop. If this is what Peter Martins is trying to incorporate into City Ballet in a dubious attempt to win new patrons, then I have no regrets about leaving New York and City Ballet behind. There are still moments, shreds, of former glory, but this romancing the latest fad (gads! JR is a "street artist" - does that mean a nontrained, nontalented nonentity that Peter picked up from the street?) is fatal for the quality of City Ballet. Helene, if I am too emphatic, given that I have not seen the ballets I mention - please advise.

Yeah, it's a gimmick and Martins is more prone to gimmickry than one might ideally like, but putting Lil Buck on a ballet stage isn't as preposterous as it sounds. I think you'll find the music and some of the moves in this video from the Vail Dance Festival familiar enough. It's not the kind of thing I'd want to watch for hours (but then, neither is Fokine's Dying Swan ... ), but as a dancer and performer, Lil Buck is the real deal. Even Robert Gottlieb and Joan Acocella approve.

So far, I see they're giving away some other material from the current issue, where Goldner's article appears, but not hers. But the magazine may be available in shops that try to carry everything, including such "little" magazines. (I suppose the term refers to their circulation numbers, like 10,000, instead of millions.)

You can order a copy of the current issue ($10 plus postage) using the form at this URL: http://raritanquarterly.rutgers.edu/files/Raritan-Subscription-Order-Form.pdf Note that Raritan isn't set up to take online orders -- you'll have to mail in the form with a check. There's a number to call for details re availability and P&H charges.

Yes. What fondoffouettes said.

Move back if you can, and try to get as close to aisle as you reasonably can. The Met's sight lines from the outermost half of the orchestra's side sections are at best suboptimal, especially if you're close, and I say this as someone who generally prefers an off-center view.

"ABT's role as America's National Ballet Company"....really?

Well, they do have a commitment to regular year-in-year-out touring that no other major US ballet company has. If I'm not mistaken, they've performed in all 50 states.

Same issue on my computer:

Mac Air

OSX 10.9.2

Chrome

Clearing invisionzone cookies makes no difference

But everything looks fine on my phone, however, in both the mobile and full versions:

iPhone

iOS 7.1

Chrome

Interesting to see Maria Kowroski debuting in Namouna. I assume she's being cast in Jenifer Ringer's role -- the one with the cheeky duet for ballerina and cigarette. Kowroski is one of the company's deftest comediennes, and I'd love to see her in it.

Year of the Rabbit and Namouna are both very strong works.

Namouna is absolutely, hands down, by far and away my favorite Ratmansky ballet. It's one of those works I make a point of seeing whenever it comes around. But there's no denying that it's odd. There's a kind of narrative that seems to operate by the rules of dream logic -- you can almost put together a coherent story. The costumes are pointed, but peculiar -- think art deco adventure flick meets Busby Berkley review. And it's all very witty, but very affecting too. Frankly, I'd take Namouna over Union Jack any day.

The Year of the Rabbit -- especially the way Peck uses the corps -- is well worth a look-see, too.

Last week, I saw a brief video interview with Andrew Veyette, who said he was "excited" about his new tattoo. I groaned in dismay. Last night I saw it for myself, in Acheron (which--unexpectedly--I really enjoyed, by the way). Why do supremely athletic and attractive dancers feel the need to scribble all over their bodies? Their bodies are their art, for goodness' sake, so why would they deface them? Over at ABT I've bemoaned the ugly eagle on Sascha Radetsky's bicep, and Patrick Ogle has stuff all over him. Doesn't matter when they're costumed, but when bare-chested it's at least a distraction, at most distasteful. Bear in mind that the danseurs shave their armpits and trim the chest hair so they don't look messy onstage. I fail to understand why the artistic directors don't forbid dancers from tattooing themselves, on pain of dismissal from the company. Sound severe? I don't think so. Tell them to wait until they retire from the stage to "express" themselves in this deplorable way.

But I LIKE the tattoos. Maybe the AD's do, too. ABT's revival of Clear was much improved by them, IMO. And they certainly don't strike me as out of place in Acheron.

New Combinations Program - Tuesday 2/11/14

I believe Adams took on the role danced by Rebecca Krohn at the premiere.

Adams was phenomenal in that role - Kathleen I could not agree more. I left the show just blown away by her. It really had to be seen. Extraordinary lines that the lighting picked up, and a movement quality that Scarlett really displayed, as well as a classical structure, in the limbs and feet like Maria Kochetkova only on a bigger woman.

Do - or will - the powers-that-be at NYCB have any idea what to do with her? That's another topic I guess. But before last week they had used her very little. One lead in a pas de deux in one cast of the Wheeldon "Soiree de Ballet" with Zach Catazzaro and another in a Justin Peck ballet; but she's not a girl for the corps de ballet - I mean she can dance there sure (and a Rosemary Dunleavy will of course want to keep her there) - but there are lots of good women who can do what she does there. But very very very few, maybe no one else, who has the unique qualities she showed in the Scarlett ballet.

Adams was one of Swanilda's friends in the Sunday 2/16/14 performance of Coppelia -- she was lovely, of course, and now that Scarlett has let us see what she can do, I couldn't resist the temptation to watch her even when I should have been watching someone else. It would have been a real delight to see her in one of the Act III's allegorical divertissements. (Prayer would do nicely.) Let's hope the Powers-That-Be let her bloom.

I'm hoping against hope that "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" will be one of the HD broadcasts. I saw the Kusej production in Paris -- it was recorded at the Nederlandse Opera for DVD -- and Eva Maria Westbroek's performance was one of the greatest I've ever seen in opera.

I haven't heard her live yet -- now's my chance ...