The Library Project
Attention Wingers! A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to the opening celebration for the Reanimation Library. The Reanimation Library is a small, independent library based in Gowanus, Brooklyn, serving artists, writers, and other cultural archeologists. It was founded in 2003 by librarian Andrew Beccone.
I am drawn to their mission and in particular, their call to artists and designers:
“The Reanimation Library believes that its collections contain the seeds of countless creative projects and it encourages all users to pursue their own particular interests. But the Library is also very interested in collaborating with artists whose work deals with libraries, classification systems, information architecture, the organization of knowledge, the process of research, and the changes that accompany the transformation from an analog into a predominately digital information environment. Libraries appear to be an underused area of artistic investigation, a fact that the Reanimation Library hopes to change. Ultimately, the Library seeks to produce collaborative efforts that will illuminate the Reanimation Library (and libraries in general) in new and surprising ways.”
When was the last time you used a library as the impetus or starting point for your art, whether it be visual art, choreography, or performance? I found that my answer was never and I am looking to change that and be inspired in a new way.
Currently friends of mine are collaborating on a playwriting project with Reanimation Library. As far as I know the playwrights have been picked and the idea now is to round out the challenge with work from other artists. Basically, everyone involved would pick out a book, by some random process, on Saturday, October 6th at the Reanimation Library and then have a week to create something new based on it. Your painting/drawing/comic strip/collage/installation/photo/dance/song/art etc would be displayed/performed at the show on Sunday the 14th, where you can sell it, promote your other projects, and so on. Sunday, October 14th at 7p is the performance, with drinks and art party in the lobby. All tickets are $10 and include a free beer, so it won’t be that hard to drag a few friends and admirers out to see your work. Plus this is a project for charity as well! (I might even create a piece of clothing that I will have to wear to the event!)
The best part is that you will become familiar with this exquisite library that houses some of the more grotesque and inspirational books that are out of print and no longer in circulation. It is fall, everyone is back to work, get those creative juices flowing. Nothing like parameters to force a little creativity:-)
If you are interested, or have friends that are interested, let me know and I will pass your info on to the producers…….otherwise, just sit back, relax and enjoy the art!
xo
Candice
Details:
DEWEY’ S NIGHTMARE: The Random Play Challenge
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14th at 7 PM
Gene Frankel Theatre
24 Bond Street (just off Lafayette) in the East Village
Subways: 6 to Bleecker or B/D/F/V to Broadway-Lafayette, walk uptown
All tickets are $10 and include a free beer. Does it get any better than that?
Sponsored by The Thursday Problem (www.thethursdayproblem.com), Working Man’s Clothes ( www.workingmansclothes.com), and the Reanimation Library (http://www.reanimationlibrary.org). Dewey’s Nightmare is created and curated by playwright Eric Sanders. The Reanimation Library is a small, independent library based in Gowanus, Brooklyn, serving artists, writers, and other cultural archeologists. It was founded in 2003 by librarian Andrew Beccone.
Starstruck and inspired at STEPS
No Picture to go with this post, but I have been terrified to try to get back to class- sooo out of shape. I haven’t stepped foot into STEPS on Broadway since I was going to PCS, and that’s a LONG time ago. So, a friend recommended Kathy Sullivan’s beginner class (I want to get in good enough shape to take from Judy Rice!) and I went last week. I could barely walk all weekend, but I went back today, and already felt better. Kathy is great for adults without much childhood training, because she really has eagle eyes about bad habits and will not let you get away with them.
Anyway, the point of this post is really what happens after my class, which is a go stare at the real dancers.. Gelsey Kirkland was subbing today, so I perched in the doorway and watched Julie Kent, Damien Woetzel, Dena Abergel (who I graduated with, but I doubt would remember me) etc.. doing beautiful adagio. I recognized some other faces, but couldn’t place names. Then changed next to Tess Reichlen in the dressing room, which will probably make you NYCB-ers laugh that this is a big deal to me. I feel like I know you guys from reading all your post. I almost introduced myself, but then I though.. hmm.. does Tess read The Winger? Another girl there was talking to Tess about Gwyneth and lunch and it made me giggle. I am so in awe of the discipline it takes to be a professional dancer. I mean, singing takes discipline too, but it is nowhere near as demanding in my opinion.
I am just amused at myself for being so enamored with the process that you guys live every day, especially after meeting fans/audience members who felt that way about what I do.
That’s all! 
Ranting Winger: The Musical
It’s been a few days since I posted, and today’s post isn’t exactly the most exciting so forgive me. Even though this is just about a great new playlist (that’s perfect for warm-ups), the next posts I have coming up are going to be VERY exciting! I am just waiting on a few things before I can post them.
So if you’re in the mood for some great new music, check out the new “RANTING WINGER” iMix. Over the past five months of being sick, music has played a key role in brightening up my spirits. This playlist reflects the songs that help put a smile on my face at the moment. There’s a huge mix of artists, including M.I.A, Mika, Nellie Mckay, Patrick Watson, Rilo Kiley and many more! Check it out!
(Fellow corps dancer Blaine Hoven and I enjoy some music at Marcelo’s end of summer barbecue. It’s a battle of the sunglasses!)
(Jackie joins the battle and wins.)
Back From the Exam
Hey!
I have just had my RAD exam that I had previously told you all about.
The examiner was a Chinese lady and I took it with three other girls: one of them was my friend Joana, the one in the picture (it was taken a couple of minutes before entering the room), and two other girls that I had just met.
I must confess that I was nervous at the beginning… These major examinations are mostly technique and don’t give much space to dance, but still I attempted my most to feel the music and dance my best.
They evaluate everything, and to me, the hardest part is the music. In the barre, they test you by doing one of the sides with the usual music from the syllabus and the other, with a song that we never heard before. I was the first in the barre, thus that made me shake a little bit. However, thankfully, it went all right.
My only problem was during the center. My double pirouettes en dedans didn’t come out as expected and I had some not very nice landings.
My allegros turned out be pretty good.
The examiner gives us a free enchainement, that she makes up during the exam. It was a good thing that she gave us enough chances to do it and improve, because my first attempts were quite poor :S
Then we had our variation, and then pointe.
I honestly don’t have the slightest idea whether I have passed or not. I know that I could have done much better - but now all I can do is to wait for the results!
Keep your fingers crossed!
And by the way, I’m now a contemporary student also! Took my first class in that school I told in my previous post and it was awesome. I’ll keep you guys updated with that and the recitals that are coming on the way.
Cathy
Some Special pictures to me
Marcia Haydée in Mother Teresa.
Marcia in Mother Teresa.
Nina.
Luis Ortigoza.
Marcia and Luis.
Alessandra and Julio.
Julie and Luis in Giselle.
Luis Ortigoza in Giselle.
Marcela Goicoechea.
Luis Ortigoza.
Luis, Lidia, Ballet de Santiago in Giselle.
Jason in 101.
Marijn in Affi.
Andreza and Luis in Romeo and Juliet, Cranko´s Version.
Julie Kent and Luis Ortigoza in Giselle.
Marcela Goicoechea in Giselle.
Luis, Marcela and Rodrigo in Carmen.
Marcia and Luis. This is a very special pic to me… it was the first one I took.
Luis Ortigoza in Giselle. Ivan Nagy´s Version.
Lidia, rest in Serenade.
Rodrigo Guzmán as Carabosee, Marcia Haydée Sleeping Beauty.
Ballet Carmen Marcia Haydée version, Marcela and Luis are great as Carmen and Don Jose.
Somebody else took this picture. Alessandra Ferri and me.
On the stage Georgette, Luis, Lidia and Agustin.
R-16
Thought I’d pass along this video made by our friends Ari Kuschnir and Scott Trift of m ss ng p eces. They traveled to Seoul, South Korea to film the R-16 b-boy and b-girl international breakdancing championship for Coolhunting.com. Enjoy!
dance analysis
One of the courses I am taking this semester at Columbia is Dance Criticism. It is of particular interest to me, as it is provided an entirely new way of observing and analyzing dance. I am so used to viewing dance, and especially ballet, from a first hand perspective, so it is refreshing to look at it from a new angle. I am learning to pick up on specific subtleties of dance, evaluating the subjectives versus the objectives of art in general, and getting to know the writings of some of the greatest dance critics of the 20th century.
I have a particularly strong interest in the writings of Edwin Denby. He was a true poet, thus causing his analysis and criticism of dance to flow as brilliantly as the execution of Balanchine’s Serenade. Denby was a genuine devotee to the art of dance. He even danced himself for a number of years when he was younger. He was able to combine these keen elements in order to become one of the greatest critics of dance.
Much of the reading for this course is extensive, though very interesting. One aspect of it that especially excites me is that I work with a lot of the dancers that are analyzed and critiqued in my assigned writing (including Merrill Ashley, Kay Mazzo, Peter Martins, etc.). I think its kind of fun to be able to read about people that I know on a personal and professional level. Also, there are several works I have read already that really pick apart ballets that I have had the opportunity to dance. I think that [hopefully] this type of study will not only further educate me on the art of dance, but will also add depth and sophistication to my own dancing and interpretation of choreography in City Ballet’s repertoire.
Those are all the sporadic thoughts I have time for. Back to reading for now…. More to come though!
A semester’s reading in Dance Criticism
DENSE
Deitch Projects
Today Doug and I found ourselves in SOHO for a bit and came across this really cool installation at Deitch Projects on Wooster Street.
Called “Vinyl Smash Up“, the exhibition included Jim Iserman’s vinyl decal works created in different parts of the world between 1999-2007.
The effect on the Deitch Projects space was really beautiful, and I think, would make such an incredible performance environment. I felt like I just wanted to hang out there all day and play.
This little kid was making awesome dance poses on the elevated platform while his mom took photos. So cute.
Doug and I shooting photos in the mylar with our phones.
Top Ten Met Moments (Part Two)
It’s time for the conclusion of my Top Ten Met Moments! If you haven’t checked out the first five, you can click here to get caught up.
6. The Final Performances
Each season since I’ve joined ABT, the Met Season has marked the end of one of our principal dancer’s careers. Being surrounded by them all the time is overwhelming but their farewell performances are on a whole different level. From the roar of the crowd, to the tears of fellow dancers, each of these has been a night to remember.
My first season we said farewell to Ashley Tuttle with “Romeo and Juliet.” Season Two (I type this like it’s a TV show) was Amanda McKerrow’s final “Giselle.” In perhaps the most emotional season yet, Season Three was Julio Bocca’s final season. The crowd was the most intense at his final performance, and as a male dancer, this one was especially touching. Even though I was out for my fourth Met season, I still made a point to be back in the city for Alessandra Ferri’s final performance of “Romeo and Juliet.” I spent the entire show sitting in the downstage left front wing, inching as close to the stage as I possibly could. There was something so magnetic and luscious about her dancing, you could tell by the packed wings that everyone wanted to cherish every moment for one last time.
(Enjoying a beer center stage, celebrating an incredible career.)
7. The Mistakes
In my first five of the top ten, I came clean about losing it on stage more than a few times. All of those events pale in comparison to an event in my first season that had the entire stage in tears for far too long of a time.
It was during “Raymonda” and there is a dramatic entrance with Abderakhman and his henchmen, who were played by supers (hired extras.) After doing their business on stage, the supers swept upstage, split and ran off on two large staircases that towered in the back of the stage. I can’t recall if it was the giant staff he was carrying or just a misstep but one of the supers tripped on his way up the stairs and fell flat on his stomach. The stairs weren’t too sturdy so the entire set was shaking. Instead of standing up and getting off as quickly as possible, he decided that he would army crawl up the stairs, making them shake even more. Once he made his exit, the entire corps did their best to contain the laughter but something about the situation was so ludicrous that we all quickly had tears streaming down our cheeks from laughing. People slowly started to excuse themselves to gather their sanity in the wings but we couldn’t all leave at one time. Those of us left on stage did our best to avoid eye contact but I was still laughing during the prima ballerina’s slow hand clap variation. So, so, so very professional of me.
There are endless other moments that I could share but I only have time for a few more. Misty Copeland whizzing across the front of the stage during the garden scene of “Cinderella,” only to do a weird army role/somersault center stage is fresh in my memory. Walking on for the dream sequence coda during “Raymonda” and seeing the spot next to me empty because the boy was distracted in the wings is another. We’re human, we all make mistakes.
(Another mistake. My shoe exploded right when I went on stage during “Jeu de Cartes.”)
(Perhaps an idea for a future mistake? Instead of Cinderella lowering in the pumpkin…it could be David!)
8. The Cafeteria
I think the importance of the Met cafeteria can best be described by a phone call that I received at the beginning of this past Met when I was sick in bed with mono. Marian Butler called to see how I was doing but the main point of the message was to inform me that everyone was angry because it was Friday and there was no creamed spinach. When rehearsals are going full throttle and you are in the middle of an eight show work week, the schedule at the cafeteria is usually one of the key things to help you get by. Creamed spinach and macaroni are the special Friday treat but they’re always cooking up something good for us. We spend tons of time in there, sitting eating cookies and chatting, that it holds a special place for all of the dancers. The staff is also great, and we all develop a special bond with the women working the checkout. Who knew I would become so attached to cafeteria food?!
(I didn’t have a picture to put up from the cafeteria so this will have to do as a filler. We are in cab. Cab/Cafeteria. They both start with C’s. It’s totally the same thing.)
9. Cheering On The Girls
A popular argument in the corps usually centers on who has it harder, the boys or the girls? We try to trump pointe shoes with dance belts (after wearing both, I can assure you that they both suck but pointe shoes take the cake HANDS DOWN) but in the end we all know that the girls have it much harder, especially during Met. Between “Bayadere,” “Giselle,” “Swan Lake,” and countless others, a few weeks into the season can find the girls depleted on every level. The only thing I can do is stand in the wings to support them. I do my best to get out of costume as quickly as possible and rush back downstairs to cheer them on. Between the incredible score and the brilliant dancing from the corps, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of watching “Swan Lake” from the wings.
(The girls, looking eerie during “Giselle.”)
(Another reason to praise the girls: they are a little more flexible than the boys. Take Kristi Boone for example.)
10. Tom the Makeup Guru
Part of the fun of some of our full-length ballets is the intricate and often zany makeup that some of the parts require. Even though we usually do our own makeup, there are always parts that require a journey to the makeup room for some professional assistance. While all of the staff does incredible work, there is something about Tom that has us all rushing to his chair. Instead of just giving us lines to make us look old, he adds strained veins to our face or a bruised eye to show that the times have gotten tough. What is even more amazing is that he does it so effortlessly. After a season without doing any makeup, I thought about perhaps just stopping by to have him do me up like some crazy animal just for fun. I’d be sure to get some looks on the subway.
(A little of Tom’s magic before “Sylvia.”)
(True Tom magic. Jared Matthews in Von Rothbart makeup.)
(Perhaps one of my favorite roles of all time as the Waiter in Don Q. Tom always did fun things with this one. Nothing like smiling at people on stage with some missing teeth. Hint: Use a sharpie. Seriously.)
