Friday, June 17

[dirac]

Magdalena Popa retires as the chief artistic coach at the National Ballet of Canada.

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Popa said she came to Canada after seeing many Canadian dancers at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow, including Karen Kain, Frank Augustyn, Evelyn Hart and Kevin Pugh. “I recognized in these dancers a depth of artistry that deeply impressed me and I was honoured to have an opportunity to then work so closely with Karen through to the end of her career onstage,” Popa said, referring to former artistic director Kain.

 

[dirac]

A review of Houston Ballet's closing performance of the season by Margaret Downing for Houston Press.

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As always, Principal dancer Karina González was a vision in her white tulle tutu and ably performed the part of a mysterious spirit who lures the would-be bridegroom James away on the day of his nuptials. She spent an extended time doing pointe work and somehow made it look like the easiest, most natural thing in the world.
 

 

[dirac]

Two reviews of American Ballet Theatre by Mary Cargill for danceviewtimes.

Olé

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Catherine Hurlin, in her New York debut as Kitri, was blazing rather than luminous, charging on to the state as if she knew she was the snappiest castanet in the square; she danced with such joy that the audience couldn't help but soar with her space devouring jumps.  She was a more single-minded Kitri than some, keeping her eye clearly on Basilio.  Even the dance with the Don in the first act seemed to be aimed at making Basilio jealous, and she enjoyed rather than sympathized with the old man's attentions.  But her final gentle farewell kiss for the Don during the wedding scene showed that indeed she did have a warm heart.

Sunny Side Up

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Brandt, in her New York debut, also seemed to be having a wonderful time.  She made each act distinctive, so the frivolous but charming work had a distinctive arc.  She was spunky earthy and very human in the first act, a lyrical vision in the dreamy second act, and triumphant in the wedding scene.  Her reactions to her father, to Ganache (her rich, silly suitor) and to the Don Quixote were clear--she was a dutiful daughter, but there were clearly limits.  Her stately dance with the poor deluded Don was warm, gently, and very moving.

 

[dirac]

 A review of Scottish Ballet by Graham Watts for Bachtrack.

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Miller’s long and laborious play has four acts but Helen Pickett’s choreography for Scottish Ballet cuts the action into two brief sections lasting just eighty minutes in total, concentrating on the malicious envy of a woman scorned and the fortitude that is provoked in the marriage of John and Elizabeth Proctor, the emotions of which are poured into three pas de deux, strategically placed within the ballet. These lead roles were danced at the London premiere by Nicholas Shoesmith and Sophie Martin who essayed a strong feeling for their characters without the need for text and their three duets were danced with great emotion, representing these different phases in their relationship. The final pas de deux, just before John’s execution – he goes to the hangman rather than dishonour his wife and family with a confession to adultery and witchcraft – was beautifully composed and memorably performed.     

 

[dirac]

MIami City Ballet raises $65 million over a four-year drive.

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The funds were raised in line with four basic mission targets: Artistic expansion, community-building, dance education and organizational capacity. The effort expanded MCB’s repertoire, with choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s much-lauded revamp of "Swan Lake" and George Balanchine’s "The Firebird" taking South Florida stages as major productions. 

 

[dirac]

Q&A with Peter Boal.

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Twyla Tharp’s Waiting at the Station is making its New York premiere. Can you tell us about it?

It’s really a substantial work, one we haven’t toured extensively. Twyla had a wonderful collaboration with musician Allen Toussaint, who has since passed but who played for the first performances. There are wonderful moments in the ballet of what it means to have knowledge and to realize that it’s time to pass that on. Twyla set it in New Orleans, which was Toussaint’s hometown and where much of his music was created, and the sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto capture that perfectly. And we have dancers who have been performing it for 10 years, so there’s a real level of familiarity among them.

 

[dirac]

An interview with Birmingham Royal Ballet's assistant director, Dominic Antonnuci.

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Dominic had previously been a principal dancer for the company and retired in 2009 to take on the role of its ballet master.

"That was very tricky," Dominic said, "I found that difficult in the beginning, trying to assume a position of authority with somebody you were dancing with just a few days before.