Monday, September 19

[dirac]

A farewell service is held for Ukrainian dancer Oleksandr Shapoval.

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In February 25, he enlisted in Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, later joining the ranks of the regular army. Shapoval died fighting in the Donetsk region near Mayorsk.

 

[dirac]

A review of Ballet Austin in "Taming of the Shrew" by Courtney Thomas for Sightlines.

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The world of the ballet is brightly comic and slapstick, pulling from the 17th century Italian theatre form commedia dell’arte and underscored by the music of Italian composers Antonio Vivaldi, Alessandro Scarlatti, Domenico Scarlatti and Vincenzo Tommasini. The corp de ballet, called Commedia Men and Commedia Women, are costumed in long nosed zanni masks and form a loose chorus of servant characters. Presentational, geometric scenery and loosely 17th century costumes in bright colors reinforce that the ballet is set in a theatrical fantasy world.

 

[dirac]

Pacific Northwest Ballet opens its fiftieth season.

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“Francia had this terrific ability to stage Balanchine ballets,” Stowell says. Ballets by Balanchine, the famous Russian choreographer and co-founder of the New York City Ballet, were immensely popular through the 1970s and ‘80s and not easily accessible to outside companies, due to high cost and strict rules on who was allowed to stage them outside of New York City Ballet. But Russell, a former Balanchine ballerina, was granted access to his works for the bargain price of nothing.