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amitava

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Posts posted by amitava

    New Houston "Swan Lake" -- thoughts and comments?

    in Houston Ballet

    Posted

    After reading this article on the new Stanton Welch Swan Lake

    http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/ar...ce/3667480.html

    I was wondering what Houston fans (and others) think about it -- before and after the premiere.

    What do you think?  Is this something to look forward to with joy?  confusion?  trepidation?  dread?  wait-and-see?  or what?

    Hello Bart.

    I experienced one of the cast yesterday. Sorry I am terrible with names...HB has such a HUGE number of dancers (by Texas Ballet standards). I just know them from the faces. The principal male was a principle from ABT..is all I remember. I think it was Marcelo Gomez and Sara Webb. http://www.houstonballet.org/Ticketing_Sch...n_Lake_Casting/ has the cast list.

    I made it a point to review the Bolshoi, Kirov, and ABT versions in the preceding weeks to see how different things were in terms of the choreography. I have seen Ballet Austin's and TBT (Ben Stevenson's) version last year. Please note that (a) I am not a dancer (b) I am very new to ballet c) I am by no means a critic. These are purely my personal impressions. Nothing more.

    Costumes: Superb. Both long skirts (to symbolize the swans as maidens) and tutus are used. Act II's costumes impressed me a great deal. Black swan's was a large tutu, but quite not black. It has a layer of white underneath. A very nice design, variation..and symbolization.

    Set: Act I...standard feel...

    Act II...Very intriguing and visually stimulating. Nice design. But very strange blend (not in a bad way) of costumes (medieval/classical) and Art Deco set. Very Rusian look overall

    Act III...There is a dragon involved...is all I can say

    Lighting: I was not taken by it, but it looked like the designers were still working out the quirks. I have not seen Lisa Pinkerton's classical works before. I liked her work in the modern pieces of Mr. Welch.

    Music: I like the extended version. The orchestra sounded great.

    Choreography/story/interpretation:

    Note that I am not used to seeing such huge companies perform. My aesthetic preferences may not match others

    I do not want to give away too much for those who have not seen the production....so....

    - There is a prelude of the first swan transformation like the ABT production

    - Bad guy has gang - not just solo.. to do his evil deeds. There are 4 black swans also

    - More human-swan transformations than I have seen in other productions

    - Men are pushed harder . However, it was a tad too layered at times and the groups were very large, so the coordination was not as tight as I like. There were certain pieces that did not grab me. When fewer dancers danced, the formations/choreography looked good.

    - Huge number of swans...looked great for certain formations and quite messy at other times

    - End is a little different (yes the lovers still die)..and in some ways more tragic...I was photographing so could not see all details, but there are images that seem to imply as much.

    - Some of the vocabulary/movements reminded me of Cranko (especially Onegin). Very organic - rather than stylized. This is neither a bad or a good thing. Just a personal illusionary observation.

    - I did not find the dances between the main couple to be as lyrical as many other choreographers. It was different is all I can say. This is not a judgment, just a feel.

    - The work seems well paced. Not a boring moment. One could almost argue that it does not give a break. I did not mind it.

    - I think overall it was an interesting interpretation (dance) and staying within traditional boundaries.

    Yes I would go and see it again. And you should too in my opinion.

    Yep... I am going to duck now... no pun...

    Nutcrackering

    in Nutcracker

    Posted

    Amitava -- I was just reading your posts about wanting to see a production of Nutcracker where you aren't behind the camera.  Since I see you're in Austin, you might be willing to consider popping down to San Antonio to catch Ballet San Antonio's Nut this weekend (Dec 15 - 18).  We're always looking for good action photographers.  This year is spoken for, but if you'll PM me I'll tell you how to find me at the performances and leave me one of your cards.  My DD's fellow dancers at Ballet San Antonio love coming up to Ballet Austin and taking the open class when they're not rehearsing.

    Hello,

    I tried to PM you and it looks like you may not be set up to get PMs. Please feel free to visit my web site (see signature below), where you can find my email at the bottom of my bio. I am not sure about the policy of posting emails. Therefore I am not doing so.

    Please write.

    Nutcracker 2005 Photos

    in Other American Ballet Companies

    Posted

    Lovely photographs, amitava.  Of what appears to be a lovely and quite traditional (in the best sense) production.

    The picture book characters stand out against the dark background. Was that part of the production, or arranged at that performance primarily for the photography?  I'm sorry about the winter weather cutting into Act II.  Who were the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier?

    Thank you Bart. The contrast between the background and dancers was not specially set up for me. The difference in lighting (by Toni Tucci) just gives the impression that the background is dark in Act I. There are pros and cons to it. Act II has the background more lit, and in my impression more distracting. This was a standard Dress rehearsal - with no special accomodations for photgraphy.

    To be honest I am not familiar with the names of the characters and the names of the dances. However, if it is the last set of dancers in Act II, they are Margot Brown and Jim Stein. I will get the credits from the production manager and post them in the gallery.

    Happy Holidays.

    Nutcracker 2005 Photos

    in Other American Ballet Companies

    Posted

    Act II photos are up as well.

    BA has a tradition of inviting different prominent members of the community to be Mother Ginger every year (for every run). This year's guests include:

    7:30 pm, Fri., Dec. 9th

    Richard Buckley,

    Artistic Director,

    Austin Lyric Opera

    7:30 pm, Sat., Dec. 10th

    Brig. Gen. Christopher Tucker,

    Fort Hood

    2:00 pm, Sun., Dec. 11th

    Nyle Maxwell,

    Mayor of Round Rock, TX

    7:30 pm, Fri., Dec. 16th

    Turk Pipkin,

    Actor

    2:00 pm Sat., Dec. 17th

    Sarah Butler,

    Philanthropist and Civic Leader

    7:30 pm, Sat., Dec. 17th

    Will Wynn,

    Mayor of Austin

    2:00 pm, Sun., Dec 18th

    Tom Meredith,

    Philanthropist and Civic Leader

    7:30 pm, Tues., Dec. 20th

    Marcia Ball,

    Singer / Songwriter

    7:30 pm, Wed., Dec. 21st

    Karen Kuykendall,

    Actress / Singer

    7:30 pm, Thurs., Dec. 22nd

    Sandy from JB & Sandy Show

    Mix 94.7 FM

    2:00 pm, Fri., Dec. 23rd

    Melissa Gale,

    KVUE Daybreak and Midday anchor

    Nutcrackering

    in Nutcracker

    Posted

    I did forget one thing. BA has a tradition of having guest Mother Gingers (non dancers from the community)...It is interesting to see how well they do the job! You may recognize some name..while other's are probably limited to local fame.

    2005 Mother Gingers include:

    Richard Buckley, Artistic Director, Austin Lyric Opera

    Brig. Gen. Christopher Tucker, Fort Hood

    Nyle Maxwell, Mayor of Round Rock, TX

    Turk Pipkin, Actor

    Sarah Butler, Philanthropist and Civic Leader

    Will Wynn, Mayor of Austin

    Tom Meredith, Philanthropist and Civic Leader

    Marcia Ball, Singer / Songwriter

    Karen Kuykendall, Actress / Singer

    Sandy from JB & Sandy Show

    Melissa Gale, KVUE Daybreak and Midday anchor

    Any other company have unusual aspects to the Nut?

    Nutcrackering

    in Nutcracker

    Posted

    I know in the past we've had a grab-bag Nutcracker thread where we could discuss the various productions we've been seeing (rather than filing them all away neatly under the individual companies) -- would anyone be interested in that again?

    I have seen only two major productions of the Nut. My first time ever was in 2004 of Ballet Austin. I got to see it again in 2005.

    The only other company's Nut I have experienced is the Metropolitan classical Ballet's version (previously Arlington Ballet) in Fort Worth. Since they have two artistic directors and one of them is from Russia, they present a Russian version which is slightly different in terms of the story. The general idea remains the same.

    I missed Ben Stevenson's version of Houston Ballet and the Texas Ballet Theatre this year, due to conflicts, but will catch it next year hopefully. I have yet to see the Balanchine Nut - which I will probably catch on DVD. Any recommended version?

    The Moscow Ballet tours the Nut in Texas every year, but I was given the impression that the production was not impressive.

    To be honest I have not yet seen a nut just as an audience member - I am always behind the camera. One of these days, I need to make the effort to see a new Nut without my camera.

    So far I have liked different aspects of the two different productions. Since the Russian version (Met Classical) is danced with a lot of Russian dancers, I am enchanted by their form, especially in Act II. Stephen Mills's version in Ballet Austin uses Corps work differently. Since I have seen the Nut only three times total so far, the magic has not worn out yet. I would be hard pressed to indicate which I liked better.

    One thing I have noticed is that different dancers seem to give a different feel to the same production. Therefore it is one of those productions that I learn the art of appreciation from easily. It is repeated every year, unlike other production that one may see by the same company every few years.

    Please let know which DVD Balanchine version are good ones. Thanks

    Photos from Metropolitan Classical Ballet

    in Other American Ballet Companies

    Posted

    Thanks, amitava, for the pictures.  I admire and enjoy looking at your work.

    I have a question that's probably overely naive, but I always think of it when I see first rate photography of dancers captured in flight or in a perfectly angled pose.  How is it possible to shoot at just the right instant?  (Or do you shoot continuously and select only the best of many shots?)

    Good question. Most dance photographers I know (and have observed) and I, predict the moment as we see it coming. Then we use a single click to capture it. Continual shooting is considered less than ideal. One wastes energy and film/memory. I have seen some green newspaper photographers use the fast click technique, but that is not the norm.

    The challenge is not in just capturing the moment, but also having the correct exposure and frame/composition ready. Many photographers have a sense of the moment, but not the framing. The aesthetic sense of framing is commonly referred to as the "eye". So someone with a good "eye" will have interesting photos. I rarely crop a photo more than 10-30% of the area. In most cases what you see is the way the shot was taken.

    Solos and duets are easy to shoot but corps work is a challenge, due to coordination of the dancers and size of formations.

    Having said that, most photographers with digital cameras, can shoot close to 200 photos in a 20-30 min piece (depending on the style ad choreography). The final yield of "good" photos is smaller. I have noticed that in Ballet solos and duets, 20% of the photos are not usable. In corps work, 50-60% of the photos have to be thrown away. Artistic directors, and marketing eliminate more photos due to their stringent requirements.

    Hope that reveals some of the less important mysteries on the universe! :P

    Photos from Metropolitan Classical Ballet

    in Other American Ballet Companies

    Posted

    The Metropolitan Classical Ballet, based in Arlington Texas has some wonderful Russia dancers. While a few of them were on break, the rest of the company performed for a benefit to help the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

    Peter and the Wolf was presented in the first half. Post intermission performances consisted of duets from several fairy tales. Photos from the second half are at:

    http://insightphotography.smugmug.com/Dance

    Enjoy

    Go see Onegin

    in Houston Ballet

    Posted

    I saw the 2nd cast ( Fote/Murphy) of Onegin by HB this week. It is a beautiful piece of choreography. Being new to Ballet, I had not experienced Cranko's works before. I was very taken by the way he uses the body to express the story/emotions. It opened my eyes to another aspect of Ballet.

    I understand stagings of Onegin are rare. So don't miss it. I also understand that the new female principle is cast in this series.

    My 2 inflated cents.

    A

    Maina Gielgud Resigns

    in Houston Ballet

    Posted

    .... It's understandable that Welch wants to do with the company what he wants, but it will be interesting to see how the audience reacts.  Will it merely drive the old audience away?  Or will it also bring in a new one?

    From what I understand, season subscription has increased tremendously after Welsh took over. I only saw Ms. G's Giselle, and enjoyed it a great deal, especially the 2nd Act. I take that back..there was a small Balanchine piece as well.

    I would have liked to experience her other visions.

    A

    Live Music

    in Discovering the Art

    Posted

    The following Ballet Companies in Texas use a live orchestra:

    Ballet Austin

    Texas Ballet Theatre (Dallas Ft. Worth)

    Metropolitan Classical Ballet (Ft. Worth)

    Houston Ballet

    BA does use recorded music for a few of their pieces that use modern music, but that is usually 1-2 performances a year. I think HB shares the orchestra with the Opera, but is seperate from the local symphony. I am not sure about the DFW based companies - but they perform at the same venue with different orchestras. BA uses Austin Symphony.

    I have a related question. From a dancer's prospective, what do most of them feel about live vs. recorded music? From the rehearsals I have attended, there is invariably some fine tuning that seems to take place during every rehearsal between the musicians and dancers. Indian dancers usually prefer a live orchestra as there are several sections in which some degree of improvisation is required - and live music is far more accommodating at times.

    But for a fixed composition, does it help the dancers or improve their performance? - purely from a musical prospective, not the energy/ambiance influence, I mean.

    By the way did I just read a thread started by Helene indicating that the Pittsburgh Ballet will not be using live music.

    Acocella review May 9, 2005 link

    in Modern, Contemporary, and Other Dance

    Posted

    One question the reviewer poses is regarding the finance of the Nrityagram troupe. From the past events that I have been involved with - and recent conversations with organizers/artists, I have some numbers. You may be shocked that the fee for a company or 3 musicians and one dancer visiting from India is between $2500 and $4000 per performance, depending on their reputation. This includes travel costs and artist fees. The local producer/organizers hosts provide transporation (local to the city) and puts them up usually in the homes of supporters. In most cases they perform on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - fying from one city to another - for two months or so, and return to India.

    The dance icons of India usually travel with a larger group of dancers and charge in the range of $7-10K per performance. Larger dance troups of lesser known artists with taped music and 4-12 dancers usually are in the 5K-7K range.

    However more suprprising is that upcoming dancers are expected to pay organizers to present them in Chennai. This applies more to the Bharatnatyam form of dance. The media, reviewers, and artists are very much aware of the situation and yet everyone accepts it.

    I am not sure about the conditions in other cities and other forms of dance forms in India.

    Pretty sad set of affairs.

    Review for the Clueless

    in Discovering the Art

    Posted

    I found it funny, because I have discussed such things with folks who do not enjoy a performance (ballet or other music/dance/cultural programs)...or are bored. In fact I have had similar experiences (usually if a peformance is boring and/or has non-engaging talent).

    I am not sure I would take this as an insult to Ballet. I could also interpret it as the critic making fun of themselves :blush:

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