Wednesday, September 29

[dirac]

A review of the new television series Amazon Prime movie set at a French ballet academy, "Birds of Paradise," by Asher Luberto for LA Weekly.

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In an early exposition dump, Kate is established as a shy teen with no friends, the kind of introvert who is so frail, a soft wind could blow her away. She’s a scholarship student at an elite French ballet academy, where she’s been shunned for being too quiet, too poor, too awkward and too American. On her first day, a haughty teacher (Jacqueline Bisset) wastes no time telling her that she’s a complete waste of space, and one of the school’s stars, Marine (Kristine Froseth), punches her in the face.

 

[dirac]

 A review of New York City Ballet in Amaria,” “Opus 19/The Dreamer,” and “Russian Seasons” by Gay Morris for danceviewtimes.com.

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Before “Amaria,” Bigonzetti had choreographed three works for New York City Ballet, with Kowroski featured in all of them. He may have been attracted to the ballerina’s tall stature and flexible body. Certainly he emphasized her flexibility in this duet where, in a number of instances, she grasped her leg in a vertical split while Ramazar supported her. It’s not the most subtle use of Kowroski’s attributes, but it is typical of Bigonzetti’s approach to choreography. The score consisted of two Scarlatti sonatas, which Craig Baldwin played onstage, highlighting their delicate refinement. Bigonzetti seemed not to refer to the music in any way, essentially using it as an orderly means of keeping time. The dance, which was purely abstract and performed by Kowroski in soft ballet slippers rather than point shoes, consisted of many twisted gestures and poses that challenged ballet classicism without offering a convincing alternative. Kowroski deserved better.

 

[dirac]

Colin Jones, photographer, former ballet dancer, and Lynn Seymour's ex-husband, has died at age 79.

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‘The thing about the camera,’ he once said, ‘is that… cameras don’t take pictures. Pictures come from your brain’