dirac Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 An essay on the National Ballet of Cuba and Diana Markosian photographs of the company by Jennifer Homans in The New Yorker. Quote Alonso was Cuban ballet, and she was Giselle. I well remember seeing her perform the role with American Ballet Theatre (where her career first took off) at the Metropolitan Opera in 1977. I was with my mother and had to cross a picket line of anti-Castro protesters, and wait as police cleared the house after a bomb threat. For much of her career, Alonso was partially blind and she had learned to navigate a stage, and a partner, without relying on sight. I don’t know how much she could see that night, but I remember the poignancy of her aging body (she was fifty-seven), the careful calculations of her movement. She seemed to be dancing in her own world—a quality that is uncannily present in Markosian’s shadowy, ghostly bride. Link to comment
dirac Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 Dance Theatre Northwest offers gender-neutral ballet classes for adults. Quote That matters in the ballet world, which upholds traditional notions of gender, more than most art forms, and has a long history of privileging body ideals rooted in white supremacy and anti-fatness. It’s possible to find studios and companies that explicitly reject these harmful standards, but it can take work. At Seattle’s Exit Space, where I dance most often, there is no gendered dress code for adult classes, and many teachers structure their classes in a way that challenges ballet’s strict gender binary rather than reinforcing it. Link to comment
dirac Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 Ballet Arkansas performs next month. Quote Set to take place Sept. 13-15, the event will be Ballet Arkansas’ first time to take the stage this season and will feature debut works by next-gen choreographers. With three performances of world premieres from the company artists of Ballet Arkansas, unique musical compositions and an insightful Q&A, the showcase will be a highlight of this season’s cultural calendar. Link to comment
dirac Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 John Clifford is named artist-in-residence for Portland Ballet's new season. Quote Clifford will teach, choreograph, and stage ballets from the Balanchine Trust for TPB students. Clifford had danced professionally with TPB co-founders, Artistic Director Nancy Davis and Executive Director Jim Lane. In the past 23 years, Clifford has returned to TPB to teach and choreograph such works as "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," "The Enchanted Toyshop" and "A Christmas Carol," among others. Link to comment
Recommended Posts