Hans Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 This was sparked by the Houston Ballet thread, on which Alexandra (sorry, don't mean to heap all the "blame" on you!) suggested the idea of story ballets aimed at the MTV/video game generation. I've come up with "The Legend of Zelda" (a video game) in ballet form, which actually could be interesting. It doesn't have to be based on a video game, but what are some ideas for pop culture story ballets? Perhaps a ballet version of The Simpsons or Friends :green: Link to comment
Old Fashioned Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 Eek. Let's see...perhaps a Tomb Raider ballet? If anyone has seen the first movie, Angelina Jolie was supposedly doing "bungee ballet." Link to comment
Hans Posted September 7, 2003 Author Share Posted September 7, 2003 Perfect, Old Fashioned! I can't wait to see what people come up with . If it's hard to express "mother-in-law" in classical mime, I wonder how one would show the plot of, say, "Sex and the City." :shrug: Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 I wonder what choreographers would make out of anime/manga? Inuyasha would be tough enough with its time-travel and long, long, backstory, but something like Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X would take a reincarnation of Tudor to draw characterization out of all that fighting, except for the Galahad-like purity of the title character's nature. Link to comment
perky Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 How about The Matrix as a ballet? Whoa! Link to comment
Alexandra Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 There is a ballet in Singapore based on a popular comic book (action figure heroine) that I put up some links to a few weeks ago. Link to comment
Tancos Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 I'd like to see a ballet based on Neil Gaiman's work. For instance, the short story "Chivalry," in which the aging Mrs. Whitaker finds the Holy Grail in an second-hand shop under a threadbare fur coat, might be fun. Coraline could be the basis of a good Halloween ballet. Link to comment
glebb Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 Imagine what it would be like for a choreographer to have the buget of one days filming on a movie such as MATRIX with which to make a full length ballet. Link to comment
kfw Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 Has the time come for Reality TV ballets? Everyone takes a solo and then votes someone else off the stage. Link to comment
Hans Posted September 7, 2003 Author Share Posted September 7, 2003 Or Temptation Island as a ballet: Can Aurora and Désiré's perfect relationship survive the wiles of the heartbroken Bathilde??? Actually, I think I just described Swan Lake. Uh-oh, new ad campaign for ballet companies!!!! "Swan Lake, the Original 'Temptation Island'" :green: Link to comment
grace Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 oh kfw, that's so funny! i suppose i should be embarrassed to admit that i don't understand any of the story references, above. Link to comment
Mme. Hermine Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 i think that logically you give little buttons to every member of the audience and let them vote people off the stage, n'est-ce pas? :green: Link to comment
grace Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 excellent, Mme. Hermine! Link to comment
Old Fashioned Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Or, the ballets are televised and callers call in to vote. It's become "Ballet Idol"! Wonder who the judges would be... :rolleyes: Link to comment
dirac Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 perky, the original Matrix is already a ballet. I like kfw's idea, but it lacks the necessary backbiting and scheming -- a (not the) Richard Hatch in a leotard, for example -- that makes the voting idea work. What we need is backstage action -- dropping ground glass into toe shoes, ruthless upstaging, maybe have the ballet master macking on a contestant or two, I'm sure everyone can come up with something, and we'll have "Survivor: the Ballet." Link to comment
perky Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Yes Dirac, the Matrix does already seem like a ballet, however in MY version of it, instead of Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishbourne, and CarrieAnne Moss, as the leads I would cast Albert Evans as Morpheus, Wendy Whelen (in a short black wig) as Trinity, and Angel Corrella as Neo. Link to comment
Hans Posted September 9, 2003 Author Share Posted September 9, 2003 Ballet Idol . I think the judges should be Suki Schorer, Anastasia Volokova, and Sylvie Guillem. One of the local radio stations had a "Classical Idol" contest, which was lots of fun (well, it was for me ). Think if there was a Ballet Idol people would flock to it and hold signs saying "Crazy for Cornejo" or "Wailin' for Whelan?" Link to comment
Hans Posted September 9, 2003 Author Share Posted September 9, 2003 Come to think of it, Ballet Idol could be a lot of fun . It could be held at the Met or State Theater and broadcast on PBS. It could have a different theme each week, just like the real one: Petipa, Balanchine, Bournonville, &c., and each contestant would have to dance a variation. Scores on technique, costume, line, &c. Beverly Sills as Ryan Seacrest. It's perfect! It's kind of like the Prix de Lausanne, but with more hype and audience participation Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted September 9, 2003 Share Posted September 9, 2003 Or we could go to a little pop retro and do "The Rocky Horror Ballet Show". :speechless: Of course the theater could get a little messed up, OK, a LOT messed up, but it might be fun. The casting I'll leave to you. I don't want even to THINK about it! Link to comment
Hans Posted September 9, 2003 Author Share Posted September 9, 2003 Maxim Belotserkovsky as Rocky. Nilas Martins as Brad. Any suggestions for the other parts? Link to comment
perky Posted September 9, 2003 Share Posted September 9, 2003 Mark Morris as Frank-n-Furter Link to comment
Hans Posted September 9, 2003 Author Share Posted September 9, 2003 Perfect ! Now we just need people for Janet, Columbia (is that her name?) and those freaky siblings Link to comment
dirac Posted September 10, 2003 Share Posted September 10, 2003 Yes, it's Columbia (the Nell Campbell role). You might also be thinking of Magenta, which would have been perfect for the young Heather Watts. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 When I first saw the movie, I had to look three times (considering the state I was in ) to make sure that Magenta wasn't Rebecca Wright! Link to comment
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