Friday, February 23

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A review of New York City Ballet by Mary Cargill for danceviewtimes.

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“Liebeslieder Walzer” certainly needs both technique and style; it is firmly set in an elegant nineteenth century mansion, showing a musical evening for four couples whose close friendship, refined and elegant manners quietly and subtly hint at their stories in the first half while the more expressive second half lets their emotions flow. The four couples this evening, Isabella LaFreniere (her debut) with Tyler Angle, Ashley Laracey with Andrew Veyette (his debut), Sara Mearns with Chun Wai Chan (his debut), and Indiana Woodward (her debut) with Preston Chamblee (his debut), sometimes tended to look as if they rehearsed separately and came up with their own interpretations and at times it looks like a somewhat unconnected series of beautiful dances, not a group of friends sharing an evening.

 

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A review of Birmingham Royal Ballet's "The Sleeping Beauty" by Graham Watts for Bachtrack.

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The role of Princess Aurora is one of the most varied and complex challenges for a ballerina and, on this prestigious opening night marking the 40th anniversary of Sir Peter Wright’s seminal production of The Sleeping Beauty, that awesome responsibility fell on the shoulders (back, arms, legs, feet and especially toes) of Yu Kurihara. Not yet a principal dancer (I suspect that’s not a phrase to be written for much longer) she conquered all the complexities with alacrity while exuding all the joy of a young woman celebrating her birthday and then (after a 100-year sleep) her wedding.

 

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A story on American Contemporary Ballet by Victoria Looseleaf for San Francisco Classical Voice.

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ACB is also the only ballet troupe in L.A. to perform exclusively to live music, played by some of the city’s finest classical and jazz musicians. Indeed, March 1 through March 22, ACB will present 10 performances at their “performance venue” (more below), under the title “ACB Jazz.” Showcasing two premieres, a number dubbed “The Charlestons,” and two comedians, the program features music performed by Morgan “Daddy Butterbeans” Jones and his Hot Nine, playing tunes by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Jelly Roll Morton, and others.

 

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An interview with Justin Peck by Lyndsey Winship in The Guardian.

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Rotunda is a good example of what Peck’s become known for. An abstract one-act ballet, it’s set to music by contemporary composer Nico Muhly, in a work Peck says “feels almost like a math equation, even though it’s so beautiful”. Performed in what looks like practice gear, it’s a piece, says Peck, about “the process and repetition of the dancer’s craft”. The dance meets the rhythm and structure of the music with exactitude; there’s speed and athleticism but an easy, unforced quality, too. It feels like a community of dancers whose steps emerge with spontaneity.